Premier League set for Netflix-like revolution to boost global viewership

The 2019-20 season of the English Premier League is shaping up to be a feisty affair. While Liverpool march onwards towards an inevitable Premier League triumph after 30 years, Sheffield United continue to push for a Champions League spot. The relegation battle involving West Ham, Watford and Norwich is adding spice to the end of the season as the TRP ratings across the UK continue to soar upwards.

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PremFlix: Could this be the end of the Sky Sports dynasty in England?

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In a recent interview with Dailymail, CEO Richard Masters said, "During the last [rights bidding] process [for the 2019-22 seasons] we spent quite a lot of time and invested a lot of resources in building our expertise and capacity in 'direct-to-consumer'. We considered whether strategically it would be the right time to test a few markets then and decided not to. We were ready last time and we will be ready next time should the opportunity arise. Eventually, the Premier League will move to a mix of direct-to-consumer and [traditional] media rights sales."

The trials of a new 'Over The Top' (OTT) service that cuts out traditional broadcasters could start as early as 2022. As Masters confirmed, the OTT could be termed 'PremFlix' and should benefit the top-flight clubs through increased broadcasting revenue. Currently, any viewer in the UK who wishes to watch the Premier League game legally needs to subscribe to Sky, BT Sport and Amazon Prime. A subscription for all three platforms could cost up to £912 a year or £76 a month. ‘PremFlix’ is rumoured to be coming up with a cheaper subscription rate in order to attract a larger demographic.

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The Premier League relegation battle is turning out to be a feisty affair!

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