In a big win for the Peacock, NBC has retained the rights to the English Premier League for six seasons. The new contract which will take effect in the 2016-17 season will last through 2021-22.
The bids to the English Premier League were due last Thursday and apparently the league reviewed all the bids from potential suitors and decided to remain with NBC which has increased viewership and exposure of the EPL over the past two seasons.
World Soccer Talk originally reported that a consortium of ESPN, Fox, Univision and Discovery were going to win the bid, however, the New York Times’ Richard Sandomir broke the news of NBC’s win on Twitter:
NBC renews Premier League deal for six years
— Richard Sandomir (@RichSandomir) August 10, 2015
This ensures that all 380 matches will be seen on NBC platforms. This year, NBC increased exposure of the league by putting a Saturday 10 a.m. ET game on USA Network as well as on its usual outlets of NBC and NBCSN.
NBC has built equity with soccer fans by treating the matches with respect and also hiring Rebecca Lowe as host and having Arlo White call the games from various game sites.
It was reported that the EPL would not award a six-year contract unless it was blown away and apparently NBC blew the league away.
Here’s the official announcement:
NBC SPORTS GROUP AGREES TO 6-YEAR EXTENSION TO REMAIN THE EXCLUSIVE U.S. HOME OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE
Partnership Extends Through 2021-22 Premier League Season
All 380 Matches Will Continue To Be Made Available Annually On Multiple NBCUniversal PlatformsSTAMFORD, Conn. – August 10, 2015 – NBC Sports Group and the Premier League have reached a new six-year agreement by which NBC Sports Group will continue as the exclusive multi-platform media home of the Premier League in the United States through the 2021-22 season, it was announced today.
As per the agreement, NBC Sports Group will continue to make all 380 Premier League matches available to fans – via NBCUniversal’s NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, TELEMUNDO and NBC UNIVERSO linear channels, plus the Premier League Extra Time TV package – and via live stream on NBC Sports Live Extra, or other platforms.
“We are excited to continue our tremendous partnership with the Premier League, and we look forward to presenting the world’s finest soccer league to Americans for many years to come,” said NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus. “As sports fans, there’s nothing better than waking up on a weekend morning to live and relevant events, and we at NBC Sports are thrilled to continue to be this outlet for the fast-growing Premier League fan base.”
“NBC Sports has done a fantastic job broadcasting the Barclays Premier League for the last two seasons and we are extremely pleased that they have invested in our U.S. rights for seasons 2016-17 to 2021-22,” said Premier League Executive Chairman Richard Scudamore. “Outstanding production, expert analysis, and wide audience reach have all been beyond expectations. First-rate creative marketing and promotional campaigns have driven interest in our clubs, and the competition as a whole, to unprecedented levels. NBC Sports has committed to extend partnership activation and promotion of clubs in future seasons – a significant factor in the awarding of these rights – and we look forward to continuing our excellent working relationship with them for the next seven years.”
On the strength of numerous innovations and programming initiatives – including “Tactical Cam,” THE MEN IN BLAZERS SHOW, multiple Breakaway whip-around shows, road trips to the U.K. and NBC’s Super Bowl coverage, and The 2 Robbies “Football” Show — NBC Sports Group in May concluded its second season of Premier League coverage with viewership and consumption milestones.
Premier League viewership on NBC and NBCSN averaged a record 479,000 viewers last season — up 9% from the record NBC Sports Group set during its debut covering the Premier League in 2013-14 (438,000 viewers). In addition, viewers consumed a record total of 317 million minutes of live Premier League action via NBC Sports Live Extra during the 2014-15 season – up 22% from the prior season.
So far no financial details have been disclosed, but once they’re available, I’ll post them here.
