Multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group (MTG) has acquired English Premier League rights in Sweden and Denmark, while commercial and pay-television broadcaster TV2 has also purchased rights for English football’s top flight in Norway. The agreements are for three seasons, from 2013-14 to 2015-16.
The deals are the first to be announced for the league’s new cycle in Europe, ending speculation about a possible shift to a pan-continental rights sales process.
The league said that it agreed the deals directly with the broadcasters.
In Sweden, MTG will show all Premier League games on an exclusive basis on its Viasat pay-television channels.
In Denmark, MTG will show “approximately” 280 matches exclusively live per season and the remaining 100 games per year on a non-exclusive basis.
MTG is currently the league’s exclusive rights-holder in Sweden and is also the league’s pay-television rights-holder in Denmark, with both deals running from 2010-11 to 2012-13.
All of the rights in the new deal can be exploited on internet and mobile devices, according to the group.
In Norway, TV2 – the country’s current rights-holder for the league from 2010-11 to 2012-13 – will show games on the TV2 Sumo and TV2 PL HD channels. Pan-Nordic media group Bonnier and pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus were among the other bidders for the Norwegian rights, according to the Kampanje website.
“The Premier League is the leading product on pay-television and [now] we have the opportunity to further develop our pay-television offering and our commitment to English football across all platforms,” TV2 president and chief executive Alf Hildrum said.