Grip · Sport Business 101November 2026· 3 min read
How a broadcaster buys sports rights
A league sells, broadcasters bid, clubs get paid.
The league writes the rules, the broadcasters compete, and the money flows back to the clubs. When no one pays enough, the league can go it alone.
01The six steps
1. Package the rights
A league rarely sells "everything". It cuts its matches into packages by country, by platform (TV, streaming, highlights) and by time slot. The Premier League's 2025–29 UK sale had five live packages.
2. Invite tenders
The league, often helped by an agency such as IMG or Infront, publishes an invitation to tender: the packages, the rules, the deadlines and the minimum requirements.
3. Collect the bids
Most rights are sold by sealed bids, opened on the same day. Some leagues run rounds or a live e-auction, as India's IPL did for 2023–27.
4. Award the packages
The best bid per package usually wins. Competition rules can force a split: since 2007, no single broadcaster can buy all the Premier League's live packages, a commitment made to the European Commission. In the last sale, Sky took four packages and TNT Sports one.
5. Sign the contract
It sets the length (four years for the Premier League, 11 for Amazon's NBA deal), the payment dates, exclusivity, anti-piracy duties and exit clauses. Those clauses matter: DAZN used Ligue 1's to leave after one season.
6. Pay the league
The broadcaster pays in instalments. The league then shares the money among its clubs, which is why a failed deal hits every club at once.
02Three ways to sell
| Model | How it works | Who carries the risk | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed fee | The broadcaster pays a fixed sum, whatever its audience | The broadcaster | Premier League UK rights 2025–29, £6.7bn |
| Partnership | The league and a media group share costs and income, often through a joint channel | Shared | DAZN MENA, DAZN's joint venture with Saudi Arabia's SURJ |
| Own channel | The league produces and sells its matches itself, directly to fans or via distributors | The league and its clubs | Ligue 1+, launched in 2025 after DAZN left |
Sources
- 01IRIS Merlin (Council of Europe), "European Commission: Commitments on Sale of Football Rights Legally Binding" (2006)
- 02Ofcom, Premier League rights investigation, no single buyer rule
- 03FourFourTwo, "Record-breaking £6.7 billion TV deal" (2023)
- 04Sportcal, IOC invitation to tender for Milano Cortina 2026 and LA 2028 rights in Europe
- 05LaLiga, Invitation to Tender for audiovisual rights in Spain (2025)
- 06ESPNcricinfo, ICC sealed bids vs IPL e-auction (2022)
- 07Advanced Television, "Prime Video overtakes DAZN in sports spending" (2026)
- 08Sportcal, "DAZN ends Ligue 1 deal" (2025)
- 09SportBusiness, "DAZN MENA focal point of $1bn SURJ investment" (2025)
- 10Insider Sport, "Ligue 1+ brings DAZN on as distribution partner" (2025)
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