Premier League’s US TV rights auction: ‘A deal worth $3 billion over 9 years is possible’ – The Athletic

When NBC outbids ESPN and Fox for broadcasting rights Premier League game in the United States in October 2012, it publicized its coverage with an old joke: Americans know nothing about football.

Ted Lasso, the ferocious yet lovable fish on the water, was the vehicle for that joke, and the good news is that people are still laughing – all the way to the bank, in fact. Apple turned those viral videos into a hit, Emmy-winning series, while The Premier League just sold Apple the rights to its match and league action franchises in the show’s third season.

But the premise for the original joke has thinned out: Americans know quite a bit about football now, especially English football.

And that is why the auction of broadcast rights in the US is no longer a laughing matter for NBC, its rivals or the Premier League.

An investment of $250m (£180m) in 2012 is likely to be an investment of at least $2bn (£1.46bn) in 2021, perhaps more, boosting the budget of each Premier League club to a minimum of at least £10 million from next season.

The invitation to bid has been sent and the bids will not be sealed until early November. The federation does not expect to be short of offers.

How much are US rights worth now?

About 150 million pounds a season.

NBC became the home of the English Premier League in the US, paying $250m (£180m) for exclusive live streaming rights to all 380 games per season from 2013 to 2016. .