Premier League (PL) continues to remain the most attractive football league for viewers and broadcasters across the globe. The top division in England has negotiated a contract extensionwith beIN sports for broadcasting rights in the Middle East and North Africa. The new contract is set to last until the end of 2025.
As per the new deal, beIN Sports will be telecasting every Premier League game for the next five years across 24 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The deal will reportedly yield Premier League close to £367 million in the next three years. It is a mammoth deal for beIN Sports as they have eradicated competition in countries where PL has a huge viewing.
Earlier this year, beIN Sports had requested Premier League to block Saudi Arabia’s takeover of Newcastle United. The Qatar based broadcast company had insisted that Saudi Arabia has been involved in a pirate network that illegally broadcasts PL games. Since there has been tension between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, it is not a surprise to see beIN Sports trying to block their involvement in a league that majorly features on their network.
The reports in England on December 17 suggested that Newcastle United had tried to stop PL from committing to a long-term agreement with beIN Sports. In a time when European football is struggling financially due to the pandemic, PL was never going to miss out on such a lucrative deal.
Earlier this year, PL also had to terminate the broadcast deal with a Chinese firm after payments didn’t arrive for the agreed packages. They didn’t have to wait longer to get a broadcaster in China as they signed a contract with Tencent. The broadcast revenue is one of the biggest sources of income for PL clubs, so the governing body of the league will always look for lucrative avenues in different parts of the world.