#3 The influence of Sky Sports
When LWT egged on the top clubs in England to break away, ITV must have thought they had it made. They were about to come into a lot of money once the deal for broadcasting rights to the Premier League went through. But that's not how things worked out.
While ITV was making their bid, Rupert Murdoch-owned Sky Sports completely “blew them out of the water” with their very own offer.
Sky offered the members of the soon-to-be Premier League £304 million and despite their inhibitions about signing a deal with a company that was non-terrestrial, it was just too much money for them to say no. So, while ITV got the ball rolling, they were eventually left out in the cold. Irony much?
Sky Sports has been the official television partner for the league ever since and are currently involved in a deal worth £5 billion for 2016-19.
