BSkyB "retained its hold on English soccer by winning a
bidding war" yesterday to "keep exclusive rights to live
coverage of" Premier League games in a three-year deal
valued at US$1.65B, according to the AP. Meanwhile, the BBC
"lost" the rights to the "prestigious" weekend highlights
show called "Match of the Day" to ITV, who bid $91M (AP,
6/14). DAILY VARIETY's Erich Boehm reports that BSkyB will
pay $1.65B to receive live rights to 66 matches per year
beginning in 2001, and NTL will pay $492M for 40 PPV games.
BSkyB is paying an additional $33.8M for "interactive
rights." Meanwhile, Boehm calls ITV's deal a "body blow" to
the BBC (DAILY VARIETY, 6/15). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's
Mimi Turner writes that the Premier League "has proved a
major asset in the battle for pay TV subscribers, and its
loss would have had a major impact on BSkyB's share price
and prospects" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 6/15). In London,
Raymond Snoddy writes that the league was the "clear
winner": "It has managed to extract an unprecedented amount
of money from broadcasters and the cost will be passed on to
the biggest losers -- the viewers" (LONDON TIMES, 6/15).
