The Premier League has announced that NBC will continue to broadcast exclusive coverage of all 380 games per season in the United States until the summer of 2028 in a deal worth close to double what was initially forecast.
NBC, who have had the rights since 2013, fought off competition from ESPN and CBS to agree a new six-year contract worth an astonishing $2.6billion (£1.9billion) according to initial reports. The league had been expecting to earn about £1.5billion from selling the rights.
That is about double what the broadcaster paid for the most recent cycle and allays fears of the league’s bubble being burst by the coronavirus pandemic in addition to providing the clearest sign yet that the game is reaching new levels of popularity in the States.
“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,” Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive said.
The deal means all 20 clubs are likely to receive payments of more than £10million per season with a distribution model weighted in favour of teams’ finishing places meaning that those who finish in the European places are expected to get a bigger windfall.
Earlier today the league announced that an extra £20million will be paid to EFL League One and League Two clubs this season and an additional £5million will support clubs in the top-three National League divisions until 2025.
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Masters added: “Interest in the Premier League is going from strength to strength and it is great to see the growing global demand to watch our matches and engage with the League.
“Our international and domestic broadcast revenues over the next cycle will give stability and certainty to the game as a whole, which is particularly important as football recovers from COVID-19 losses.
“We are proud to provide more investment into our football pyramid than any other football league in the world.”