14 March 2004, Singapore: Asia’s number one sports broadcaster, ESPN STAR Sports successfully extended its multi-year agreement with the FA Premier League of England (FAPL) to deliver full and exclusive broadcast rights of Asia’s most popular television sport, the English Premier League (EPL) to its major territories across Asia.
In a landmark move, ESPN STAR Sports announced it will double its coverage of the League over the next three seasons starting from August 2004. Ten matches will be shown each competition week instead of the current 5, most of them LIVE; the rest will be on quick turnaround and will again be supported with a line up of programming covering predictions, highlights, news and information, as well as pre and post game analysis.
Under the new broadcast agreement, ESPN STAR Sports will deliver exclusive EPL programming to all but two of the markets within its 25-country footprint. Continuing to enjoy ESPN STAR Sport’s world-class EPL coverage are key football markets including China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Macau plus India and West Asia, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines. The successful conclusion of the EPL deal comes soon after the network’s acquisition of rights to the English FA and an Asian football rights package through the Asian Football Confederation.
Announcing the conclusion of the agreement, ESPN STAR Sports Managing Director Rik Dovey said, ‘We’re pleased to once again partner with the FAPL to continue broadcasting Asia’s number one international sport and we’re thrilled to be able to expand its coverage, doubling the number of matches on our network. In the three seasons we’re been broadcasting the League, its audience ratings for the top LIVE matches in Singapore and other territories have trebled on our network and we look forward to further growth over the next three years. I’m sure our clients and viewers will appreciate the expanded coverage and enjoyment of the game we will bring.’
He continued, ‘The EPL, along with our newly acquired exclusive FA package of football rights, UEFA Champions League, the Asian Football packages, in some territories the Euro 2004 and Spanish Primera Liga, as well as NBA basketball, top international cricket, the Masters, British and US Open golf majors, Australian, Wimbledon & US Open tennis, Major League Baseball, snooker and daily sports news completes what is the strongest programming line-up of any sports broadcaster in the world’,
Said Richard Scudamore, Chief Executive, F.A. Premier League ‘We are extremely pleased to be continuing our partnership with ESPN Star Sports. They have consistently delivered all the best Premier League action to our fans across key territories throughout Asia over the past 3 seasons, showcasing the league and our teams. We are sure that the next 3 will be just as successful.’
The English Premier League remains the most widely distributed sports programme across Asia. It is seen in over 150 million homes on the ESPN STAR Sports network with 8 of 10 people with cable in Asia tuning in weekly to watch the drama and excitement of the EPL. While Asia’s sizeable out of home audience remains unmeasured by in-home Peoplemeter measurements, research indicates that 64% watch the EPL outside their homes every week. EPL matches on ESPN STAR Sports continue to be the top programme on cable, rating 10 times better than the best programme on all other cable channels. (Peoplemeter).
For further information, please contact:
Stephenie Vasko, ESPN STAR Sports tel: (65) 6488 6126 or email: vaskos@espnstar.com