Three-year FA Premier League coverage deal costs Sky £1,314M

Following an announcement by the FA Premier League, BSkyB has confirmed that it will take a fourth package of live rights for its FA Premier League coverage in a three year deal costing £1,314 million.
In addition to the three packages of 23 games each awarded to Sky last week for the 2007/8 season, this package gives Sky rights to a further 23 matches airing Sundays at 4pm.
"This is good news for fans, football and Sky," said Vic Wakeling, Managing Director, Sky Sports. "Sky is the home of football. We will offer first picks, the best matches and biggest head-to-heads. There will be more live Premiership matches on Sky Sports than ever: 92 games per season, up from 88 games today."
With these rights, Sky has won the opportunity to offer live football in new and exciting ways. "Viewers can look forward to years of innovative coverage of live Premiership football, all broadcast in HD. Fans will also have new ways of watching using broadband and mobile," continued Mr Wakeling.
Jeremy Darroch, Chief Financial Officer at Sky, added, "We are very pleased with this result. We have won the best packages at prices that are right for Sky. This gives us certainty for the future and secures Premiership football until the end of the decade. It underlines Sky's strength as we drive towards all our targets."
(SP)