- Amazon has bought their first Premier League television rights package
- The online giant has purchased one of the remaining packages for 2019 to 2022
- This will allow Amazon to show 20 domestic matches across two match days
- The other set of remaining fixtures has been bought by BT Sport for £90million
- A membership for Amazon Prime will set supporters back £5.99 per month
- Access to Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime will cost over £860 a year
Amazon has purchased its first Premier League television rights package as the online giant launches a threat against Sky Sports and BT Sport in a ground breaking shift in domestic broadcasting.
In the division of Premier League TV rights for the 2019 to 2022 period two packages were still to be purchased following the initial bidding phase in February.
Amazon has now secured one of the remaining packages with BT Sport taking the other
Amazon has purchased its first Premier League television rights package for 2019 to 2022
Amazon have long been in the running to snap up one of the remaining two packages on offer
It comes on a day of significant financial change in the Premier League with the elite clubs securing a larger share of TV money in a massive victory for the 'big six'.
Clubs have voted to tinker with the international television revenue share from 2019, with more emphasis placed on teams finishing higher up the league.
The news will be viewed as success in boardrooms of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool.
The Premier League had sold five of their seven packages for 2019 to 2022 for £4.464billion to Sky and BT in February.
Sky won four packages – worth 128 matches – while BT now has two – worth 52.
This will mean having access to all three services will cost fans just under £60 a month
BT will have five matches from the split weekend, which will create a chance for a winter break
The 20 additional fixtures have cost BT Sport £90m, bringing the total cost for 52 games to £975m.
Jay Marine, vice president of Prime Video in Europe, said: 'We are always looking to add more value to Prime, and we're delighted to now offer, for the first time, live Premier League matches to Prime members at no extra cost to their membership.
'The Premier League is the most watched sports league in the world. Over these two December fixture rounds Prime members will be able to watch every team, every game, so no matter which Premier League team you support, you're guaranteed to see them play live on Prime Video.'
Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore added: 'Amazon is an exciting new partner for the Premier League and we are very pleased they have chosen to invest in these rights.
'Prime Video will be an excellent service on which fans can consume live Premier League football – including for the first time in the UK a full round of matches – and we look forward to working with them from season 2019/20 onwards.'
Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore described Amazon as 'an exciting new partner for the Premier League'
It will be a bitter blow for armchair fans who will now have to fork out for an Amazon Prime subscription as well as their Sky and BT fees. Access to all three outlets is set to set supporters back £863.76 a year based on current prices.
A membership for Amazon Prime will cost supporters £5.99 a month. Access to Sky Sports's Premier League channel is already an £18 a month supplement on top of the £20 a month regular Sky package. BT customers can purchase their sports channels for just £6 a month.
Existing Sky Sports customers then have to pay £27.99 a month for access to BT Sport and BT customers can only buy Sky Sports Main Event as a bolt-on to their service for £27.50 per month.
The three-way tussle has angered fans who believe they are being fleeced for every penny to watch the game they love.
'If you want to watch every Premier League game on TV from next year you’ll need: Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon and A hell of a lot of money' slammed @unitedkanamixer.
@TheShaw2009 blasted: 'So, to watch football on TV from 2019-20, you will need subscriptions to Sky, BT Sport and now Amazon Prime. Let me just shake some cash from the money tree outside #Football #TVRights #PremierLeague.'
@SimplyCosta wrote: 'So the premier league have sold games to Sky sports, BT Sport and now Amazon but then they wonder why people try to illegally stream matches? Imagine all the money you’ll have to spend to watch these games.'
Amazon's plunge into sports broadcasting
Amazon is becoming an increasing force in sport broadcasting and already have the rights for ATP and US Open tennis.
It also commissioned a £10m fly-on-the-wall documentary inside Manchester City during the title-winning campaign.
American Football is also broadcast on the website with the NFL renewing its deal to show Thursday night matches for two more seasons in April.
Amazon also produces a sporting documentary series titled 'All or Nothing'.
The programme takes viewers behind the scenes of three major American sports teams. Series have been focused on the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys.
Said to be worth a staggering £521.98billion in February, Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos claimed the Prime streaming service has more than 100 million subscribers worldwide in April.
Amazon is becoming an increasing force and already has rights for ATP and US Open tennis
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