BSkyB is reportedly considering paying up to £1 billion to secure the rights to broadcast Premier League football matches, despite facing less competition from rivals.
The £1 billion that BSkyB is believed to be willing to pay for the rights is only slightly less than the £1.1 billion that it paid in 2000 to broadcast Premiership matches between 2001 and 2004.
BSkyB had been expected to make a much lower bid following the collapse of ITV Digital and reduced competition from troubled cable networks, NTL and Telewest (see Forecasts). However, the broadcaster has made football the cornerstone of its pay-TV strategy and speculation suggests that it is keen to retain the rights.
A spokesman for BSkyB dismissed the reports as “nonsense” and refused to confirm whether it had discussed the matter of rights at board level.
Last year it was reported that a clause in BSkyB’s existing contract could prevent it from submitting a lower bid when the current £1.1bn three-year deal comes up for renewal. However, this was also dismissed by a spokesman for the company.
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