English Premier League signs US TV deal with NBC

The English Premier League and US broadcaster NBC on Monday said they had signed a new, three-year rights deal, capitalising on the growing popularity of the world's most popular football league in the United States. The agreement, reportedly worth some $250 million, will see the broadcast of 380 matches from the 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons, according to a joint statement published on premierleague.com and nbcsports.com. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said the broadcaster would help showcase the best of English football across the United States via its network of channels across the country, including in Spanish. NBC Sports Group chairman Mark Lazarus said the league was "on the cusp of exponential popularity growth" in the United States and promised "the broadest programming and promotional commitment" the sport has seen across the Atlantic Ocean. "This is a perfect match," he added. The NBC Sports Group is one of the world's largest broadcasters but was criticised recently for broadcasting many Olympic events from London, including the opening ceremony, on a time-delay to secure more prime-time viewers and advertising revenue. English Premier League matches are currently broadcast in the United States on Fox and ESPN.