London, November 19 (BNA) The English Premier League football club said on Thursday that it had agreed to a six-year US broadcasting rights agreement with NBC Sports, as it seeks to boost its popularity in the United States.
Financial terms of the deal, which covers all 380 football matches each season and includes exclusive rights to Spanish-language coverage, were not disclosed, but a report on The Athletic said it was worth more than $2 billion.
In a media call with reporters on Thursday, NBC Sports president Pete Bevacqua said nine different entities were interested in acquiring the Premier League rights as of last week when initial bids were submitted.
The games will be broadcast across NBC, USA Network, Telemundo, Peacock’s streaming service, and other platforms. Bevacqua on Thursday described the league as a “driving force” on Peacock, with NBC also broadcasting some of the most popular events at the Tokyo Olympics as well as the University of Notre Dame football team’s opening game.
NBC Sports, part of Comcast Corp-owned NBCUniversal (CMCSA.O), became the home of Premier League coverage in the United States in 2013.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said in a news item: “The Premier League morning programming on NBC Sports is now a true institution among fans in America, where fans wake up early to meet and cheer for their favorite club, week after week.” . release.
“The broad demographics that it brings, and how it’s kind of a sport in general continues to grow in the United States and I think there is no reason to slow that down,” Bevacqua said.
NS