NBC Windfall Adds to EPL Global Value

The English Premier League continues to rake in the money to pay for the vast array of world talent present in its ranks.

American network NBC trebled the previous contract the English League had with Fox Soccer for rights to broadcast English league football in the United States.

In doing so, they outmuscled a joint bid Fox had with ESPN, according to the New York Times.

The NYT piece added:

“NBC has bid about $85 million a year for the new E.P.L. rights, just under four times more than Fox currently pays for the rights, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations”

A site in Thailand, nationmultimedia.com, reported that the final deal might be worth around $250m, adding:

“In China, broadcaster and current rights holder Super Sports Media Group was just awarded the exclusive EPL rights for a six year partnership, starting from seasons 2013-2018 in mainland China and Macau. No financial details of the deal were disclosed but it was reportedly worth significantly more than the $50 million Super Sports had been paying annually.”

More deals, for example in the Middle East and the rest of Asia are expected soon.

The numbers alone are staggering. Sportzpower estimates that 380 EPL matches are viewed in 212 territories worldwide. Coverage of the matches is available in approximately 720 million households with an estimated cumulative global audience of 4.7 billion.

The EPL will receive an extra $750m a season, with next year’s Premier League champions potentially netting around 1/5 of that themselves.

This continued windfall will come as an enormous boost to the top English clubs who see the writing on the wall of FIFA’s Fair Play guidelines, which will dictate a maximum spending as a potential of income.

This should ensure that any attempted fightback by Serie A clubs in Italy to regain their last 20th century prominence is doomed to falter on the rock of the EPL’s global branding and the spendable revenue it brings.

Barcelona and Real Madrid will also be looking on nervously.