The Premier League secures $8.45 billion in a new four-year TV rights deal. © Getty Images

The Premier League announced this Monday its new record television rights deal, reaching £6.7 billion ($8.45 billion) for a four-year period starting from the 2025/26 season. The English domestic competition currently had a deal that brought in around £5 billion, so the contribution is increased by just over 25%.

The previous agreement was for three years and covered 200 matches per season, while the new one will be for four years and with many more matches. The Premier League thanked the broadcasters for "the largest sports media rights deals ever concluded in the UK."

In this regard, Sky Sports and TNT Sports retain their rights to broadcast live matches, while Amazon, which currently shows 20 matches per season, will not be part of the next agreement, according to AFP. Sky will broadcast a minimum of 215 live matches per season, while TNT will air 52. BBC Sport will continue to broadcast highlights through its Match of the Day programme.

There will be a blackout on Saturday afternoons, designed to protect attendance in the lower leagues, but for the first time, all matches scheduled outside of those at 3:00 pm on Saturdays will be broadcast live.

The figure is quite striking as it is the highest since the Premier League started dealing with television rights. However, many more matches will be broadcast than in previous seasons. "The outcome of this process underlines the strength of the Premier League," said Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters. 

"We have enjoyed record audiences and attendances in recent seasons, and we know that their continued innovation will drive more people to watch and follow the Premier League," added the official in statements collected by AFP.

The Premier League, for its part, said that the new deal would provide financial certainty for clubs throughout professional football until at least 2029. It is evident that these types of contracts allow the Premier League to maintain distance from its competitors, in this case, the Spanish, Italian, German, or French leagues, as its significant financial and economic strength is making it the most attractive for players and coaches and, therefore, the most followed.

Finally, such is the continental development of the Premier League and the interest beyond its borders that last year, for the first time, international rights for the top English football category surpassed the value of domestic rights.