Sky: We'd Pay the Same Again for Tv Football

Sky indicated its determination to hold on to as much Premier League Football as it can, suggesting it would pay a similar sum to the £1.1bn it paid for the live rights five years ago even if it got fewer matches.

The Sky head of sport, Vic Wakeling, told a House of Lords select committee the broadcaster was waiting for the Premier League and the European commission to thrash out detailed international terms of trade for rights to games from 2007.

If Sky could secure similar levels of exclusivity for its games, it could pay a similar fee, he said

Denying that the broadcaster had attempted to skew the outcome of negotiations between the Premier League and the EC, Mr Wakeling said Sky would react when the league issued official tender documents "some time in 2006".

Under a new deal, the Premier League matches will be divided into six tranches of 23 games with no single broadcaster able to bid for all of them. In order to attract new bidders for the rights - such as internet and cable companies - it is understood the packages will be platform-neutral, allowing holders to distribute on television, broadband or over mobile phones.

"We will react when we know the details of the new packages, have seen the ITT and have a view on how it will all work," Mr Wakeling said.

"But I think probably that, if we get the same sort of exclusivity, we'd probably pay the same sort of money for less matches."

The new deal struck between the Premier League and the EC effectively ends Sky's monopoly on the Premier League, which it has held since 1992.

Under the deal, the Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, has given assurances to the EC competition commissioner, Neelie Kroes, that the six packages will be equally balanced, ensuring coverage of an even spread of big-name clubs.

The EC, which had threatened legal action against the Premier League to force it to open up the bidding process, has also insisted on the appointment of an independent trustee to oversee the auction for the rights from the 2007-08 season onwards.

"The commitments offered by the Premier League should ensure the media rights are sold in a fair and transparent manner and give British football fans greater choice and better value," Ms Kroes said.

Sky said it was willing to pay out for Premier League games, even though Martin le Jeune, the Sky head of public affairs, admitted the sport was not as influential in gaining new subscribers as it once was.

"It is one thing in a balance of channels that attracts subscribers. Sport played a major role but it's not as crucial today in acquiring marginal subscribers and we are out to get 8 million by the end of the year," he said.