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The English Premier League yesterday ended its deal with Chinese streaming service PPTV.
The league did not give a reason for terminating the deal after one season of a three-year contract.
Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper reported last month that PPTV withheld a 160 million (HK $ 1.64 billion) payment in rights that expire in March. That’s when the Premier League suspended its season due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The league’s contract with PPTV, which is owned by Chinese retail giant Suning, was one of the most lucrative internationally in the current three-year cycle through 2022, reportedly worth about $ 550 million.
The collapse of the agreement could affect the finances of clubs that have already been affected by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Suning Holdings also has a majority stake in Italian Serie A’s Inter Milan.
Last season in the Premier League was also marked by political tensions with China.
In December, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV pulled a match between Arsenal and Manchester City from its program after Gunners midfielder Mesut Ozil voiced support for the mainly Muslim Uygurs in Xinjiang.
In the meantime, fans will be able to attend two Cambridge United games next week that will be test events for the British government’s pilot plan for the return of spectators to elite sport, the English Football League said.
The two games will be played at the League Two team’s Abbey Stadium.
Explaining its choice of Cambridge United, the EFL said the club had previously been part of a joint project with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority looking at the safe application of social distancing on soccer fields.
