Sky is preparing to enter a new key cycle regarding football content in particular. Starting from the 2024/25 season, the new course of the A league (the transmission agreements will be valid until 2028/29) and that of UEFA Champions League (contract signed until 2026/27, for a tournament that has changed format).
But what will change for Comcast’s pay-TV? Starting from A league, Sky will broadcast three matches per day co-exclusively with DAZN (as happened in the 2021-2024 cycle), throughout the season. Some news will concern the order of choice of the matches to be broadcast and a greater number of big matches available for subscribers (the broadcasters will share 20 at the start of the season, 4 for Sky and 16 for DAZN).
As regards the UEFA Champions League, Sky will broadcast almost the entire competition live exclusively: we are talking about 185 matches out of the 203 total of the tournament. The streaming challenges will also be the exclusive prerogative of Sky (and NOW), after last season the ban on exclusives led to the challenges being shared with Mediaset’s Infinity+.
Commitments – those of Sky Italia on football television rights, but not only – which are reflected in the pay-TV balance sheet closed on 31 December 2023 and consulted by Football and Finance. The value of the rights at the end of last year was in fact equal to just over 2.15 billion eurosup compared to the 1.44 billion euros on 31 December 2022.
«The purchase commitments relating to rights concern the acquisition of broadcast rights of third-party channels, sports rights and other television content (including cinematographic works and co-productions of TV series), which will be broadcast in PAY TV, PPV, FREE modes TV and On Demand», we read in Sky Italia’s financial statements as of 31 December last year.
The amounts include fixed and variable fees, estimated on expected consumption or expected purchase volumes. Among other payment commitments, there are «mainly football rights A league from the 2024/25 season to the 2028/29 season, UEFA Champions League and Europa Leaguethe commitments relating to the world championships of MotoGP from the 2023 season to the 2025 season and payment commitments for the Formula One from the 2024 season to the 2027 season», concludes the document.
