TNT SPORTS NATIONAL LEAGUE TV DEAL OVER
UPDATED: DAZN SEALS DEAL TO SHOW NATIONAL LEAGUE TV GAMES HERE
The article below was written two weeks before the National League struck a new deal with DAZN.
NON-LEAGUE football’s top division looks set to start the new season without live TV coverage for the first time in years with its deal with TNT Sports seemingly at an end.
The National League’s four-year deal with TNT Sports for live rights and highlights expired at the end of the season and all the indications are that the two sides have failed to reach an agreement to extend it.
TNT inherited the contract when it took over BT Sport’s portfolio of channels and neither the National League or TNT Sports have made any comment so far on whether it would continue into the new season.
But the clearest indication yet that the partnership is now at an end came when the National League removed TNT Sports’ logo from its images of partners and sponsors on the foot of its official website. It has since been restored, but with no link to TNT. Other broadcast pages are showing out-of-date information.
Before BT Sport and TNT Sports, the National League was shown on Setanta and at one stage Sky. The league has its own streaming service to show top division and selected North and South league midweek games and others which fall outside the 3pm Saturday TV blackout period.
It’s not yet clear yet whether the league will attempt to secure a new TV partner. TNT had the rights to show up to 45 games a season and also produced a weekly highlights show which was also available on YouTube.