Daily Mail: Amazon 'explore bidding' for live rights to Premier League matches

Story from Daily Mail:

Amazon Prime are reportedly exploring whether to bid in the latest auction of live rights for Premier League matches after a tender process was launched last month.

The streaming service is currently paying around £90million for 60 live matches in three seasons staged over the Christmas period, after securing a package ahead of the 2019-20 season.

Amazon retained the rights after the Premier League's domestic TV deal was extended by a further three years on the same terms due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Industry insiders have told Mail Sport that Amazon were effectively given their first set of live rights at a discount by the Premier League six years ago in order to draw them into the market.

Doubts had been raised over whether Amazon will bid for in the last auction, with broadcasters expecting the cheapest of the five packages to go for around £300m-per-year.

According to The Telegraph, Amazon maintain an interest in bidding for at least one of the five packages of matches available.

Amazon are reportedly exploring a bid after being encouraged by the long-term security of a longer-term deal, offering more certainty over production investment.

The Premier League has offered companies a four-year deal for the first time from 2025, a 12-month increase on previous three-year cycles.

The move is expected to prove popular with broadcasters, with existing rights holders Sky Sports and TNT Sport both eager to buy more matches.

Amazon would be expected to bid for the cheaper of the five new packages should they decide to enter the auction.

Mail Sport reported last month that Amazon could face competition from fellow streaming service DAZN.

DAZN are understood to view the expanded Amazon pack as more attainable than the primetime Saturday and Sunday packages, which are expected to be retained by Sky Sports and TNT Sport.

The expanded fifth package of games is expected to include several complete midweek rounds, as well as Sunday matches featuring clubs involved in the Europa League.

The Premier League are understood to be looking for a significant increase from the current £5billion three-year domestic deal from the forthcoming rights auction as the number of matches available will increase from 200 to around 270.

Mail Sport revealed earlier this month that the BBC will retain the rights for Match of the Day for four years from 2025.

The BBC will remain the home of free-to-air highlights after their terrestrial rivals declining to bid for the Premier League's highlights package.