Netflix looking at bid for Premier League rights: report
Netflix will consider bidding for some Premier League TV rights after narrowly losing out on deals to show matches in UEFA’s club competitions, the Times reports.
The move comes as the streaming giant looks to expand beyond streaming single-sport events – which have included boxing, golf, and American football – to more significant sports coverage.
Sky and TNT Sports currently hold the rights or the domestic Premier League deals in the UK, which are set to run until 2029, while NBC currently holds the streaming rights in the US until 2028.
An eye on subscriptions
The subscription economy, though still growing handsomely, will come under ever-increasing scrutiny in the coming years, says banking group Barclays.
“Over the past five years, the UK’s use of subscription services has increased dramatically.
“Streaming platforms have potentially enjoyed the most high-profile growth, with likes of Netflix and Disney+ becoming staples for households all over the country, but the change has been felt across the consumer economy,” it said.
Barclays’ 10 Years of Spend report showed that spend on digital content & subscriptions has increased by 47.5% since January 2020. Nine in 10 (88%) consumers are now signed up to at least one subscription, and among this group, the average monthly spend on subscriptions is £50.60.
By the end of 2024, collectively, UK consumers had 155 million active subscriptions. Figures like that might suggest that the model is unstoppable, but, as Barclays data shows, consumers are tightening their belts, with many considering cancelling these recurring payments to cut costs.
Barclays found that 59% are concerned that the rising cost of digital content and subscriptions is impacting their household finances. One in five (21%) believe they’re spending more on subscriptions than they were a year ago, and of 28% are looking to reduce their discretionary spending by cutting back on digital content and subscriptions. Despite this, the model continues to expand and evolve.
