Updated: Fox Sports International Retains U.S. Rights To English Premier League
Programmer Also Secures Matches For 2010-11 Through 2012-13 Seasons For Central, South America
Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 10/21/2009 12:26:42 PM
Fox Sports International has secured exclusive rights to the Barclays English Premier League for the 2010-11 through 2012-13 seasons.
That means Fox Soccer Channel will continue to be the primary home to England's top futbol circuit, gaining rights to all 380 matches per season, while Fox Sports en Espanol will continue to be the primary vehicle presenting Barclays Premier Language matches to Hispanics here in the States.
Decisions about sublicensing the Barclays Premier League matches in the U.S. have not been made, according to a spokeswoman for Fox Sports International.
The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, also encompasses similar rights for Central and South America to its associated company, Fox Sports Latin America.
The Premier League is inviting bids for similar rights in the Caribbean and Canada on Oct. 23.
Commenting on the announcement, David Sternberg, executive vice president and general manager of Fox Sports International, said: "We are delighted to extend our relationship with the Premier League to 2013," said David Sternberg executive vice president and general manager of Fox Sports International, in a statement. "Together with our distribution partners across the Americas, we look forward to bringing our viewers another three action-packed seasons of the world's most prestigious domestic soccer competition."
Noted Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore: "Fox Sports has been a long-term partner of the Premier League and has always provided excellent coverage for the competition. I am sure they will continue, together with their affiliates, to showcase all the best match action across a range of programming and technologies for the benefit of our fans across the US, Central and South America."
ESPN, which lost the rights to the UEFA Champions League to Fox Sports International and Setanta Sports USA after a 15-year run in the States, was interested in securing a larger piece of the Barclays Premier League. The giant sports programmer began airing BPL matches this season, gaining rights to 48 games from Fox Sports International. Those contests were culled from a package that premium programmer Setanta Sports sublicensed from Fox Soccer Channel.
That agreement paved the way for return of the EPL to ESPN in the U.S.. During the 1996-97 and 1997-98 campaigns, ESPN2 was the English-language television home for the circuit's Monday night matches.
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