American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, NBC Sports is facing a major battle to retain the media rights of the English Premier League with many major broadcasters like ESPN, WarnerMedia, and CBS Sports.
All expected bids for the contract are for the 2022-23 season, several reports say that the Premier League clubs are expected to approve the tender bid for the American rights rather than renewing with NBC Sports which has been in a partnership with the Premier League since 2013.
NBC sports stated that “We certainly want to continue our great relationship with the Premier League, now in our ninth season, we have worked together to drive major growth for the sport in the US with innovative production and unmatched promotion.”
NBC Sports is expecting a bidding war from several media organizations which can also potentially include Amazon Prime Video and the bidding war is expected to double Premier League’s US-media income from $150 million to $300 million per season.
This could result in a $2 billion deal for the Premier League in the US. CBS Sports has been one of the major broadcasters who is believed to be leading the race to secure the Premier League rights in the US.
CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said that CBS Sports is “open for business and we’ll look at any property that comes along.”
Considering the popularity of the Premier League in the US, the media rights deal will be beneficial for the broadcaster who manages to win the bid.