Cyta bolsters Premier League offering in new deal

Pay-television broadcaster Cyta has renewed its Premier League rights in Cyprus, with the league increasing the number of matches it will allow to be broadcast in the new cycle.

The new three-season deal, from 2019-20 to 2021-22, will allow Cyta to broadcast more than 230 matches per season. In the current three-season cycle, from 2016-17 to 2018-19, the league offered only 200 matches per season as it viewed Cyprus as a territory of concern for piracy.

Cyta has been broadcasting the Premier League since 2014 when it took over Lumiere TV’s contract, originally set to run from 2013-14 to 2015-16, after the pay-television broadcaster closed its channels.

Other football rights in Cyta’s portfolio include: Uefa’s Champions League and Europa League, Italy’s Serie A, and home matches to a host of clubs from the top-tier domestic football league.

Cyta has been challenged this year, with rival telco Cablenet emerging as a new player in the market. Cablenet acquired several high-profile domestic football clubs’ home matches, and has since entered into a partnership with fellow telco PrimeTel.