Door open for Premier League to create ‘Netflix of Football’
The Premier League has moved closer to creating a new network which has been hailed the ‘Netflix of Football’.
Last week, the English top-flight football league revealed they had chosen to bring their 20-year partnership with media production company IMG to an end ahead of the commencement of the 2026/2027 season.
The decision came after all 20 current clubs in the division voted in favour of the ruling. Currently, IMG produces Premier League matches in over 180 countries across the world, which would now allow the clubs to take ownership of this revenue stream.
“IMG has been a fantastic partner for the Premier League over the past 20 years,” Premier League Chief Media Officer Paul Molnar said in a statement.
Molnar continued: “They have worked tirelessly on our behalf to provide world-class content and services to our international partners. During this time, our partnership has been at the forefront of broadcast innovation to deliver top-class programming week in, week out throughout the season. This has all come together to play a vital role in growing our global audiences and popularity.
“As we move the media production operations in-house, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing a best-in-class content service to our partners and millions of passionate fans around the world.”
While this could be viable in international territories, it’s unlikely to be introduced in the United Kingdom anytime soon. The current broadcast deals with Sky Sports, TNT Sports and Prime are set to continue until the end of the 2028/2029 season.
As it stands, the next deal with domestic broadcast, which was signed in 2023, is worth £6.7 billion, and is set to begin at the start of the 2025/2026 season. As part of the agreement, Sky Sports and TNT Sports will show 270 games per season between the two stations.
Due to the economic value attached to the current broadcasting landscape, the Premier League would be taking a seismic risk by scrapping it completely in favour of launching its own network. However, if it does choose to roll it out in international territories, it would gain insight into how it may potentially work.
Sports federations such as the NFL and the NBA offer fans in other territories, such as the United Kingdom, to buy annual fan passes, which permit them to watch all of the games online each season without paying for broadcast subscriptions. While nothing is announced yet, this could be a feasible path for the Premier League to follow.