NBC Sports Group Secures Premier League U.S. Package

http://sportsmediajournal.com/ News began to leak at the end of last week and became official yesterday. The NBC Sports Group has secured the U.S. rights to English Premier League Soccer beginning in the 2013-2014 season. Reports are that NBC will pay between $80 to $85 million a year for the rights. Under the three-year deal, NBC becomes the exclusive English- and Spanish-language media rights holder to all 380 Premier League matches across all platforms and devices in the United States. Details of how the Premier League games will be distributed has yet to be determined, but NBC, NBC Sports Network, and NBCSports.com will all be utilized to present live Premier League coverage, as well as Telemundo and mun2 for Spanish-language coverage. NBC Sports Live Extra will provide the live streaming platform across web, tablet and mobile devices. “The Barclays Premier League is the preeminent soccer league in the world, and is on the cusp of exponential popularity growth here in the U.S.,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group. “NBCU will provide the broadest programming and promotional commitment that the league has ever experienced here in the United States. The Premier League provides NBCU with best-in-class content for 10 months of the year across our far-reaching broadcast, cable and digital platforms. This is a perfect match.” “The NBC Sports Group has an excellent track record in sports broadcasting and will showcase the Barclays Premier League to fans across the USA through its extensive network of channels and high quality production,” said Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore. “We are extremely pleased that NBC has chosen to invest in the Premier League and look forward to working with them for many years to come.”