SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
US broadcaster NBC has confirmed that it has extended its English Premier League (EPL) rights coverage for the US market for an additional six years, until season 2021-2022.
The Comcast owned operator did not disclose the sum of the broadcast rights, however US business news sources have stated that NBC would pay over its current $83 million (£52.5 million) per season agreement with the Premier League.
Exclusive matches and all EPL highlights will be broadcast on the NBC Sports Network which includes channels NBC Sports, NBC Sports Extra and the USA Network.
NBC Sports Chairman Mark Lazarus detailed to US media, that NBC’s executive had pushed hard to win the EPL rights, as a number of competitors had pitched for its business. Giving further insight Lazarus disclosed that NBC Sports EPL match broadcast had increased in viewership by 9% to 480,000 average audience.
Premier League Executive Chairman Richard Scudamore said NBC Universal’s coverage of the previous two seasons had driven interest in clubs, and the competition as a whole, to unprecedented levels.
At Present the international EPL rights, which include lucrative regions such as the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), will be worth about an additional £2bn in the current deal cycle.
