BT Sport Could Drop Out of Premier League Rights Race as Viewership Drops

BT Sport could be forced to drop out of the race to acquire TV rights for the Premier League after seeing their viewing figures drop by thousands, according to the Daily Mail.

The popular broadcaster, whose television channels also show live Champions League, Europa League and European football, have recently had to raise their monthly subscription charge to £28 - a £3 increase.

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Despite still having impressive viewership figures of 1.8m, as well as shelling out £1.2bn to secure exclusive rights to broadcast certain sporting competitions (including the Champions League), BT's chief executive, Gavin Patterson, confirmed that the company could execute a 'Plan B' if they are forced to drop Premier League coverage.

Asked if BT Sport could succeed without Premier League coverage, Patterson said: "Yes, absolutely. 

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"I don't want in any way to diminish the importance of the Premier League of course, but it is just one of a broad set of rights. We will be competitive but ultimately won't go beyond the price it is worth to us. We have a Plan B."

It is understood that Sky are also considering dropping one of the television packages - which is rumoured to be Monday Night Football - after over £5bn was paid between Sky and BT to broadcast 168 matches per season back in 2015.