The Premier League have agreed a new six-year rights deal in the United States with NBC Sports.
The Athletic understands that the agreement is worth more than £2 billion ($2.7 billion), well over double the previous deal, and will run until 2028.
It covers all 380 matches throughout the season, and also includes Spanish language coverage.
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NBC first broadcasted the Premier League in 2013, and have hosted it ever since.
Richard Masters, the Premier League Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to announce our new US broadcast deal with NBC Sports, who have been brilliant partners for the Premier League over the last nine seasons.
“NBC Sports has significantly strengthened the popularity of the League in the United States in that time through its fantastic coverage and promotion.
“NBC Sports’ Premier League Mornings programming is now a real institution among supporters in America, with fans getting up early to come together and cheer on their favourite club, week in, week out. It’s an exciting time for football in the US and we look forward to continuing to work with NBC Sports to bring our competition to even more fans over the next six years.”
Pete Bevacqua, NBC Sports Chairman, added: “We are excited to come to this long-term extension with the Premier League. Our Premier League team, led by Jon Miller, has been incredibly dedicated to growing the Premier League in the United States over the last nine years.
“This new agreement is also a testament to the hard work of production, marketing and other areas of our company, as well as the tremendous partnership that has been established with the leadership and club owners of the Premier League.”
The Premier League's statement follows an announcement earlier today that, despite the clubs losing a combined £2 billion during the COVID-19 pandemic, the league will donate record amounts to lower league football.
Their statement read: "These deals will enable the league to invest £1.6 billion of broadcast revenue outside of the League to lower-league and non-league clubs, the grassroots game and communities; continuing the Premier League’s support for all levels of the English game.
"It was announced earlier today that an extra £20 million will be paid to EFL League One and League Two clubs this season. A new package of £5 million extra will support clubs in the top-three National League divisions until 2025."
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How does this compare to previous deals?
NBC became the home of Premier League football in the US when it paid $250 million (£180 million) for the exclusive live rights to all 380 games a season between 2013 and 2016. This was triple what ESPN and Fox had paid three years earlier.
In 2015, NBC’s parent company Comcast re-upped on “EPL” action to the tune of $1.1 billion (£800 million), in a six-year deal worth about £116 million a year for the first three seasons and then £150 million for the last three. The current season is the last of those.
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This stonking deal was one of several with overseas partners that helped the Premier League become football’s richest domestic league, with broadcast income of more than £3 billion a year.
In comparison, La Liga’s new US deal with ESPN is worth about £120 million this season, with UEFA earning just over £100 million from CBS for the Champions League and other competitions. Serie A is getting less than £50 million a season from CBS, while ESPN pays the Bundesliga just under £25 million a year for its rights.
Why does the Premier League get so much more than its rivals?
The short answer is eyeballs, in that the Premier League attracts more of them. But it would also tell you it does not get enough money for doing so.
The Athletic understands the league’s 20 clubs were shown some remarkable numbers at a recent shareholders’ meeting in September. According to research by market analysis specialists Nielsen this summer, soccer is the fourth most popular sport in the US, behind American football, basketball and baseball but ahead of ice hockey.
Furthermore, soccer fans are younger, more diverse and wealthier than fans of America’s traditional “big four” sports, and soccer’s following is growing at a faster rate, too.
MLS has the biggest overall following, but the Premier League has the largest number of “core” fans.
This audience, carefully nurtured by NBC, has more than doubled since 2013, and more than half of all US soccer fans watch Premier League games. In fact, more than a quarter of them only watch the Premier League.
A survey by London-based firm Ampere Analysis found that 15 per cent of American sports fans were interested in the Premier League, up from 12 per cent in 2019. Nearly one in 10 sports fans said they would be willing to pay to watch English top-flight games, an increase of 50 per cent in two years.
Where can I find out more?
For a full breakdown of the US TV rights auction, Go Deeper below.
(Photo: James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images)