Digital probe sparks row over broadband as Sky and Talk-Talk press Ofcom to break up BT and Openreach March 12, 2015 A battle between the UK’s largest telecommunications businesses intensified yesterday, as Sky and Talk-Talk pounced on a decision by the regulator to launch a wide-ranging probe into the sector. Both firms ramped up pressure on Ofcom to break up BT from the part of its business – called BT Openreach – that runs the UK’s broadband [...]
Premier League TV deal: An economics professor on why lowering ticket prices and redistributing the wealth could backfire February 12, 2015 With £5.14bn heading the Premier League’s way thanks to Sky and BT’s record domestic TV rights deal, public pressure is being placed on the organisation to share the wealth and relinquish the financial burden on match-going fans. The Football Supporters’ Federation has called upon the league to implement a £20 limit on away [...]
BT begins placement of £1bn of shares to fund EE acquisition February 12, 2015 BT is selling £1bn worth of shares to fund its £12.5bn deal for mobile network EE. The new shares will be listed through an accelerated bookbuilding process to fund part of the cash element of the deal, the telecoms giant confirmed this morning. The bookbuilding for the sale of 5p ordinary shares to institutional investors, [...]
Premier League comes under further fire for TV rights auction February 11, 2015 The auction process used by the Premier League to sell TV rights to Sky and BT for a whopping £5.1bn came under criticism yesterday for the second time in a matter of days. The deal was reached under a blind auction, with an unknown number of rounds and bidders. Virgin Media chief executive Tom Mockridge [...]
Manchester United share price soars following record Premier League TV deal February 11, 2015 The record £5.14bn Premier League TV deal is still a season and a half away from kicking in, but some clubs are already feeling the benefits. Manchester United’s share price rose on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday, rising by almost five per cent to a price of $17.03 per share. The [...]
Five things you could buy for the same price as the Premier League TV rights: 325 Balotellis, 2.2m travelcards, 65m Apple shares and more February 11, 2015 Buying up the rights to broadcast Premier League matches to avid football fans across the UK doesn't come cheap. At a total of £5.2bn, a record price paid by Sky and BT, that’s some serious spending power. Here’s what else that sort of cash could be splashed on. 1. 2.2m travelcards How about buying [...]
Sky share price falls on massive Premier League TV rights spend while BT rises February 11, 2015 Shares in Sky fell as much as five per cent in early trading this morning, leading the FTSE lower, after it agreed to fork out £4.2bn on the TV rights for Premier League football games. The broadcaster paid 83 per cent more for the rights to screen 126 football games each season from 2016 to 2019 [...]
Sky high bids top £5bn for Premier League TV football rights February 10, 2015 Sky footed a huge £4.2bn bill last night in order to maintain its grip on Premier League football. The media giant will show 126 Premier League football matches per season from 2016 to 2019. It will pay over £11m for each game. The bill is an eye-watering 83 per cent increase over Sky’s existing three-year [...]
Sky and BT win Premier League rights: The billions keep pouring in, but do fans benefit from football’s boom? February 10, 2015 The flood of cash pouring into the Premier League each year just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Many fans roll their eyes as the numbers in football become increasingly astronomical – but do supporters of top flight teams benefit from the growing billions that TV firms put in? In terms of ticket prices, the answer [...]
Premier League sells TV rights for record £5.14bn to Sky and BT February 10, 2015 Premier League games are worth more money than ever before after the league agreed a new TV rights deal worth an incredible £5.136bn with Sky and BT. The average live Premier League football game will cost £10.2m to screen from the 2016-17 onwards, after Sky and BT shared the 168 games split across [...]