The J.League, the top division of Japanese club football, is set to agree a new broadcast rights deal with entities including telecommunications company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp and digital sports media group Perform, according to Kyodo News.
The Japanese news agency said the new rights deal will commence from the 2017 J.League season and will be worth a total of Y1.1bn (€9.2m/$10.4m) per year.
The J.League’s current rights deal with Japanese pay-television operator SkyPerfecTV runs through the ongoing 2016 season. Kyodo said live television coverage of the league will continue on SkyPerfecTV, along with public-service broadcaster NHK and commercial broadcaster TBS.
Kyodo said NTT, which holds a partnership with Perform, is planning a new video distribution business for sports, including football. Among the J.League’s reported demands for potential bidders was a minimum commitment of five seasons and cooperation in introducing Wi-Fi in stadiums.