International pay-TV broadcaster, Canal Plus, has secured an exclusive three-season deal with the English Premier League (EPL), marking a significant shift in the Polish sports broadcasting landscape. The agreement will run from 2025-26 through to 2027-28.
Canal Plus will take over as the EPL’s exclusive Polish media rights partner at the start of 2025-26. This move comes after Viaplay, the current EPL's Polish rights-holder, decided to exit Poland entirely by the end of 2025 due to financial difficulties and a strategic focus on its core markets - the Nordics.
The initial Viaplay-EPL deal was set to run through 2027-28 but has been shortened amidst these challenges. In contrast, Canal Plus is set to broadcast all 380 EPL games live throughout each season under their new agreement.
From sub-licensee to primary broadcaster
Currently, Viaplay sub-licenses games out to Canal Plus. However, this arrangement will conclude at the end of 2024-25 when Viaplay exits Poland. As part of this existing tie-up with Viaplay, Canal Plus is entitled only to show two games per round of fixtures - a stark contrast compared with their upcoming full coverage.
In addition to taking over from Viaplay as primary broadcaster for EPL matches in Poland starting from season 2025/26 onwards, Canal Plus will continue broadcasting selected games from what remains of season 2024/25. Canal Plus has had a long-standing relationship with English soccer’s Premier League. Before being taken over by Viaplay mid-way through 2019 until late into season '21-'22 cycle; it was indeed an exclusive partner for more than 20 years.
The broadcaster also holds EPL partnerships in other markets, including France, Switzerland, and sub-Saharan Africa.
Canal Plus Poland's expansive football Coverage
Canal Plus Poland is not just limited to the Premier League. It also covers the UEFA Champions League matches as part of its top-tier soccer rights for the 2024-27 cycle.
Edyta Sadowska, president and chief executive of Canal Plus Poland, expressed her delight at acquiring exclusive rights to broadcast all Premier League matches in Poland for three consecutive seasons starting from 2025-26.
In recent times, there have been several changes in broadcasting rights for the English Premier League across different regions. Last month saw new deals unveiled in Malaysia (Astro), Thailand (Jasmine International), Laos (Jasmine International) and Cambodia (Jasmine International). Domestically within England itself; Sky Sports and TNT Sports have secured broadcasting rights through till season '28-'29 with those deals announced last December.
