[Aguero9320]

Originally Posted by jfman

I agree on the point of the massive market - but I'll also add that it's a seven year deal.

Rights owners on this side of the pond have traditionally viewed short windows (3 years) as keeping operators on their toes, allowing them to ride the crest of the pay-tv wave as it has increased.

However I've been banging the drum for some time now that a barrier to entry for anyone is that they start from 0 customers and have to turn that around in year 3 into a profit to run the risk of being dumped because someone else comes along to blow you out the water.

If the Premier League, UEFA or anyone else wants Silicon Valley to blow the incumbents out the water it needs to give them the space to develop a product offering and customer base and generate a return for a number of years. Equally it should invite disproportionately higher bids from incumbents for the same reason - it allows them to close the door on a challenge for a longer period.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney+ (ESPN) or Paramount+ became serious competition bidding for sports rights. They’re both major players in the US and ESPN still exists, showing only college sports.