Amazon looking to rope in broadcasting rights for Premier League matches after restart

E-commerce giants Amazon have reportedly begun discussions with the Premier League bosses over broadcasting further league matches after the season resumes. According to the reports, Amazon paid around £90 million to the Premier League for a contract that runs until 2022. This contract allows Amazon to broadcast 20 Premier League matches every season on the streaming platform Amazon Prime. League matches were broadcasted on Prime during the congestive period in December 2019.

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Premier League broadcast: Amazon begins negotiation over matches after the restart

As per reports, Amazon's experiment in regards to streaming football matches on their platform received generally favourable reviews. The company is looking to build on its previous success by roping in more matches after Premier League restart. At present, alongside Amazon, BT Sport and Sky Sports are the two primary broadcasters of Premier League in the UK. With the 2019/20 season set to resume around June, the broadcasting of the matches will be a major draw for the broadcasters as well as the Premier League bosses, especially considering matches will be played in empty stadiums. 

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Sky Sports and BT Sport reportedly hold the rights for 47 of the 92 remaining Premier League fixtures. As it appears, Amazon is looking to swoop in to snap up a healthy portion of the other 45 matches. As for the Premier League, the deal makes sense as the bosses will reportedly be forced to pay back £340 million to broadcasters even if they finish the season.

The league can lose up to £762 million if the season fails to resume. With Premier League looking to minimise their financial losses, Amazon could potentially provide a viable alternative and rake in a hefty broadcasting package.

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Premier League restart

On Wednesday, Premier League clubs unanimously approved Stage 2 of the league's 'Return to Training Protocol'. According to the terms approved, squads will be allowed to train as a group and tackling will also be allowed during training. However, players will have to minimise unnecessary close contact and follow social distancing guidelines.

The league released an official statement which noted 1,008 players and staff members were tested for COVID-19; 4 tested positive across 3 clubs. The 20 clubs will reportedly conduct another meeting on Thursday where broadcasting rights will be one of the agendas to be discussed. Also, a date for Premier League restart could also be ironed out during the meeting. 

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