(EPL) English Premier League

The English Premier League has launched an early tender in China in order to reap the benefits of the country’s buoyant media-rights market.

Canal Plus Afrique’s French-language deal for English Premier League rights is a landmark moment for the league, as its rights are now more expensive than the more locally-relevant French Ligue 1.

England’s Premier League clubs will enjoy much greater freedom from the 2016-17 season in how they can exploit content globally on social media. The benefits could be considerable in terms of expanding the reach of a club’s brand and could also help drive revenues for the biggest clubs.

The English Premier League this week finalised a deal with Russian broadcaster Match TV which will see its value in the country fall by about 57 per cent.

International media-rights revenues for the English Premier League are set to increase by almost 50 per cent in its new cycle, according to research conducted by TV Sports Markets.

LeSports has become the first Chinese internet operator to secure English Premier League rights in the upcoming 2016-17 season.

MP & Silva has made a small profit on its most recent English Premier League sublicensing deal in Asia.

Modern Times Group has renewed its English Premier League rights in the Baltics, paying a decent increase compared with its current deal.

English Premier League rights fell in value in Cyprus this week as the league offered broadcasters a smaller package in an attempt to combat piracy.

The value of the English Premier League’s free-to-air rights in sub-Saharan Africa has fallen by about 17 per cent after a difficult cycle in which the last rights-holder handed back its rights.

England’s Premier League saw its rights in Myanmar tumble in value after renewing with pay-television broadcaster SkyNet.

Currency depreciation against the dollar has hurt English Premier League revenues in its final three deals in Asian markets.

England’s Premier League is understood to be prioritising reach and distribution over revenue in the sale of its free-to-air rights in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Saran Media agency has suffered mixed fortunes in Turkey over the last fortnight, securing rights to England’s Premier League but losing out on Euro 2016 to Turkish state broadcaster TRT.

Telco Altice last week blindsided French broadcasters to acquire Premier League rights in the country with a knockout first-round bid.

England’s Premier League this week completed the first set of deals across Asia for its rights in the 2016-17 to 2018-19 cycle, with mixed results. It saw significant increases in value from Australia and New Zealand, but a decline in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, while Malaysia and Myanmar are proving difficult.