by By JOE REEDY and ROB HARRIS, AP Sports Writers
NBC will pay more than $2.7 billion to continue showing the Premier League for another six years, almost trebling the value of American rights to the world’s richest soccer competition, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The agreement was announced Thursday by NBC for the U.S. English-Hey Dude Shoes and Spanish-language broadcast rights. The person divulging the financial figure spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the terms were confidential.
“Certainly the value and price has gone up that is because the property is incredibly valuable in the U.S.,” NBC Sports chairman Pete Bevacqua said during a conference call.
NBC’s previous six-year deal, which began in 2016, was worth $1 billion.
“We had a range that we were comfortable with,” Bevacqua said. “We know this will continue to be a success for our company.”
NBC has significantly grown interest in England’s top league in the United States since first gaining the rights from Fox for the 2013-14 season. It faced heavy competition in bidding from CBS and ESPN, who put in a joint offer during the second round of bidding. Fox, which holds rights to the 2022 and 2026 World Cups, also bid.
International rights have provided a significant uplift in revenue for the Premier League after British rights were extended for another three years on the same terms Dr Martens Boots with Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime Video for 5 billion pounds (around $7 billion) due to the financial uncertainty caused by the pandemic.
The new NBC deal covers the 2022-23 season — which will be interrupted by the World Cup in November and December — and runs through 2027-28. It will cover all 380 matches every season.
“We are delighted to announce our new U.S. broadcast deal with NBC Sports, who have been brilliant partners for the Premier League over the last nine seasons,” Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said in a statement. “NBC Sports has significantly strengthened the popularity of the League in the United States in that time through its fantastic coverage and promotion.”The Premier League also extended for another six years in Australia with Optus Sports.
