Top 5 Largest Sports League TV Contracts

Drawing in some the largest audiences in live television and with them the possibility to offer the most expensive advertising spots, sports have always been highly in demand among the world's top TV broadcasters, making the battle for their TV rights reach astronomical figures. Up next, we list the 5 most expensive local league TV deals.

 

 

 

1. NFL - Disney (ESPN), News Corp (Fox), CBS and Comcast (NBC) - US$ 5.3 billion (2014 - 2022)

The National Football League, the most popular tournament in the US, signed a nine-year deal with Fox, NBC and CBS valued at US$ 27.9 billion. The deal, added to the one signed with ESPN (US$ 1.9 billion), make the US football league the highest-paid sports organization in TV land.

 

2. Premier League - BSkyB (Sky Sports) and BT (BT Sport) - US$ 2.6 billion (2016 - 2019)

In a bidding war for the leading division in the English football league system, Sky paid US$ 6.4 billion to retain TV broadcasting rights to five of the seven game packages available, while BT hold on to the remaining two for US$ 1.47 billion.

 

3. NBA - Disney (ESPN) and Turner (TNT) - US$ 2.6 billion (2016 - 2024)

The new deal signed by the NBA in 2014 allowed ESPN and TNT to retain TV rights to all NBA games. In their previous deal -which stands until 2016- TNT paid US$ 445 million a year for the games and ESPN paid US$ 485 million.

 

4. MLB - News Corp (FOX), TBS and Disney (ESPN) - US$ 1.5 billion (2014 - 2021)

The US baseball league signed an eight-year deal in 2012 with Fox and TBS valued at US$ 12.4 billion. The deal cost twice as much as their previous one did and allowed Fox to retain broadcasting rights to the World Series and the All-Star Game.

 

5. NCAA - CBS and Turner – US$ 740 million (2011-2024)

National Collegiate Athletic Association has signed a US$ 10.8 billion, 14-year deal which will allow CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV to broadcast the men's basketball tournament in the US, and the NCAA to extend the number of participating teams.

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