Premier League extends US deadline

The English Premier League has set a deadline of Friday, October 26 for second-round bids in the sales process for its next cycle of rights in the US, according to the Multichannel news website.

The first-round bid deadline was last Thursday, October 18.

The report said that, in the first round, US network Fox, the incumbent rights-holder, had tabled a joint bid with cable-television broadcaster ESPN, and added that US media company NBCUniversal had also made an offer for the rights, which will run for three seasons, from 2013-14 to 2015-16.

Last week, the SportsBusiness Daily website said that pay-television broadcaster beIN Sport, the IMG agency, and the Discovery Communications media company were also considering bids.

Fox, which has rights in a three-year deal from 2010-11 to 2012-13, currently shows the action on its Fox Soccer channel and also sublicenses rights to ESPN.

STORY UPDATED AT 15:55 ON 22 OCTOBER 2012