Technology and Sport Managing Associate Simon Leaf was interviewed on both talkRADIO and talkSPORT about the impact of BT and Amazon winning the final two Premier League packages.
Discussing the likelihood of more technology companies bidding for the rights in the future, Simon said;
"This deal could mark the beginning of the end for the traditional broadcasting model that has served the Premier League so well over the last 25 years. Not only will there now be three domestic broadcasters for the first time in the League's history but, from season 2019/20, games across two rounds of fixtures will be exclusively livestreamed so that fans will be able to watch any game that they choose. If successful Amazon, as well as the other tech giants such as Facebook, Apple and Google, could well enter the race for the next big auction of rights in a few years' time – paving the way for a change in how sport is consumed in the future and threatening the recent Sky/BT duopoly.
"Other sports such as tennis and boxing have been leading the charge on breaking into streaming and livestreaming (at Mishcon de Reya we recently acted for Matchroom on an exclusive 8-year US$1billion deal with streaming giant DAZN). The Premier League needs to catch up in order to maintain not just the revenues that it generates but interest from the next generation of fans who are far less likely to watch live football in the same way as their parents."
Listen to Simon on talkRADIO here, and talkSPORT here.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
