[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by jfman

Rational capitalists trying to profit maximise asked for an extension, OB. They knew both that there were no other buyers, and not even a credible threat of another buyer to shake out an extra few per cent from the incumbents.

Who asked for the extension has nothing to do with the price of eggs, or course, but it all points to me being correct all along that there’s no business model whereby a streamer can spend £5bn on sports rights in the UK and recoup that with a profit.

Otherwise we would have an auction.

In the absence of a link, I expect you think we would just take your word for that. I accept only that this is what you believe.

---------- Post added at 13:28 ---------- Previous post was at 13:25 ----------

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Actually, I now think there's a couple of good reasons to do so.

1. In 2025, most HBO/WarnerMedia rights with Sky will expire except the joint productions. If WarnerMedia does merge with Discovery, the combined company will have an existing sports brand, Eurosport, in the fold. If HBO Max is launched in the UK in 2025, it could be tempted to do so with a beefed-up sports offering with Premier League rights.

2. By 2025, the future of BT Sport will be clearer as well. Certainly, the telcos like BT and AT&T seem to be stepping back from content and focusing on 5G and fibre. Many said VM was wrong to sell off its channels to focus on infrastructure but its actions seem to have been vindicated.

I don’t disagree, Andrew. I think Disney maybe in the running as well. I’m not so sure about Amazon now, but I wouldn’t rule them out. Maybe as others have said, Amazon will continue to go for the petit packages on offer.