American broadcasting company, NBC, has secured a six-year agreement with the English Premier league, worth £2 billion (AUD$3.72 billion).
This is almost double the amount paid to secure their current contract, which was paid in 2016.
Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, said: “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.”
The £2 billion (AUD$3.72 billion) from the deal will offset the £2 billion (AUD$3.72 billion) the Premier League has lost since the pandemic.
£1.6 billion (AUD$2.97 billion) will be filtered down throughout the Premier League clubs and £25 million (AUD$46 million) will be shared throughout Leagues One and Two.
“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,” Masters said.
The deal ensures NBC will cover all 380 games until 2028, with each match gaining an average of 609,000 views this season, up 14% on last year’s broadcast figures.
Bidding for the multi-billion-dollar deal started on 11 November, where nine US broadcasting companies submitted their bids.
The second round of bids saw six of the nine companies selected to resubmit follow-up bids by November 18.
Front runners for the bidding rights included the NBC, CBS, ESPN, Fox and WarnerMedia,
with each company asked to compile six and nine-year bids, with the six-year bids what the Premier League was reportedly hoping for.
The bids had to be an exclusive contract, despite previous guidelines which allowed offers for a half package and non-exclusive rights.
CBS and ESPN were the only joint bidders approved by the Premier League, however, were unsuccessful in obtaining the multi-billion-dollar deal.
