Premier League completes the acquisition of the international media rights to the FA Cup.
In a significant reorganization of the English game’s commercial landscape, the Football Association is prepared to sell the Premier League the international media rights to the FA Cup.
Some would view the move as the Football Association selling off its crown jewels because it could result in the league taking control of the competition’s scheduling. Lower down the divisions, it could be seen as a power grab that gives the top flight more influence over Football League clubs over certain aspects of the domestic fixture schedule. In club discussions, issues like replay viability and weekend fixture sanctity are frequently brought up.
The FA initially put its FA Cup rights up for sale in January, but on Monday, it retrendered them across a wider range of territories and made them available indefinitely. The FA insists that the tender remains active, despite reports that a deal with the Premier League is close. Industry sources have addressed whether such an arrangement would be feasible in the event that a free controller for English football were set up.
A four-year agreement worth $37.5 million (£29.5 million) per season for a portion of the FA Cup’s broadcast territories outside the UK with the agency Infront was close to being signed by the FA. The current $120 million agreement with IMG for the same territories was set to end at the end of 2023–2024.
Infront, which was chosen as the FA’s preferred bidder in May, is said to be furious over its decision to retender and withdraw from negotiations. With the possibility of greater redistribution of funds down the football pyramid, it is believed that a deal with the Premier League would go further toward filling the financial void left by the expiration of the current contracts.
After the expiration of current contracts, domestic rights to the FA Cup will be available from 2025 to 2026. A request for comment has been made to the Premier League.
