While the U.S. national men’s team and Major League Soccer have struggled to gain a regular foothold on domestic television, their English and European counterparts have managed to carve out powerful niches here in the States in the meantime. As new streaming platforms Peacock and Paramount+ bolster their platforms with exclusive league rights, U.S. billionaires buy legacy clubs outright, Americans have become more (literally) invested in international men’s football as both an irresistible narrative and an incredible business opportunity.
The Premier League announced the deal on Thursday. NBC will pay more than $2.7 billion to continue showing the world’s richest soccer competition. A person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press it almost triples the value of the U.S. English- and Spanish-language broadcast rights.
The most-watched sports league in the world will return, pending a sign off from health authorities, but will play in stadiums without fans and with stringent health protocols.
The UK’s top soccer competition the Premier League has officially been suspended until April 3 as sports authorities around the world attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Fans of Liverpool and Manchester City are set to watch this season’s Premier League title race from “inside the game”, even through the eyes of players, thanks to the latest in broadcasting innovation. True View, used in TV coverage of Sunday’s Super Bowl and also to bring fans courtside in NBA, will allow 360-degree replays of all the key moments.
Exclusives
WASHINGTON (AP) — NBC Sports and the Premier League on Tuesday announced a series of live fan events around the United States beginning in late September in the nation’s capital. […]
With U.S. media giants 21st Century Fox, Walt Disney Co. and Comcast all circling European broadcaster Sky Plc, the economics of English Premier League soccer have never been more important. The sport has been a key tool for attracting subscribers to Sky’s service over the past 25 years. Now, its ability to retain rights until 2022 to show matches featuring Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane — and at a reasonable price — could have a major impact on the company’s worth in the eyes of its U.S. suitors.
