Premier League Terminates China Broadcast Contract - APRO TV

Premier League Terminates China Broadcast Contract

The Premier League on Thursday said it has cancelled its contract with Chinese broadcasters PPLive Sports International after just one season.

The broadcasters, part of retail group Suning, paid around 700 million dollars for three years of English Premier League (EPL) streaming rights from the 2019/2020 season.

The Premier League confirms that it has today (Thursday) terminated its agreements for Premier League coverage in China with its licensee in that territory.

“The Premier League will not be commenting further on the matter at this stage,” the league said in a statement.

It had been reported last month that the Chinese broadcasters had withheld payments due to the league in March.

In a statement posted on their official company Weibo account, PPLive Sports International said that it had held negotiations over the price of the rights with the league.

The deal with PPLive Sports International was struck during the peak of Chinese interest in international football and marked a huge increase in revenue on the previous deal.

Beijing-based Super Sports Media was the previous rights-holder in China.

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Local media reports have suggested they paid more than 1 billion yuan (145.13 million dollars) for a six-year deal until the end of the 2018/2019 season.

The ending of the PPLive Sports International deal is a further loss of income for Premier League clubs following the coronavirus outbreak, which forced a stoppage in play lasting several months.

The League resumed games in June and July without fans.

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