Al Jazeera mull audacious Premier League TV rights bid
Arabic broadcaster Al Jazeera could be prepared to mount an audacious bid for the rights to air live coverage of Premier League football matches.
Senior figures within the satellite broadcaster, bankrolled by the Qatari Royal Family, are said to be mulling the bid when it is put out to tender next year in a direct competition with BSkyB.
Quatar is keen to find an outlet for its vast oil revenues and also to capitalise on its successful 2022 World Cup bid.
A source told the Daily Mail: “There is definitely a sense that Al Jazeera is looking at acquiring Premier League rights. Of course, they have the money to outbid Sky and billions is not a problem.
“But they also have the motivation because of all the scepticism that has greeted its successful bid for the World Cup.
“There is a sense that they need to evolve Qatar’s image as a place that gets football and that’s involved in football.”
BSkyB currently shares broadcasting rights with ESPN in a £1.78bn deal up to 2013.