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Shanghai (AFP)
The English Premier League abruptly announced the termination of the big money deal with its broadcaster in China in a two-paragraph statement on Thursday.
The streaming service PPTV had a $ 700 million deal for the rights to show all 380 Premier League games per season from 2019 to 2022, but that gigantic deal is now dead.
Here’s what we know and some key questions:
– Why does that matter? –
China, with 1.4 billion people and the world’s second-largest economy, is a first-growth market for the Premier League. Along with the NBA, the Premier League is the most watched foreign sports competition in China.
The enormous sum paid by PPTV helped to swell the coffers of the elite English clubs. The early termination of the deal deals a devastating blow to top-notch English football, with all 20 teams struggling to adapt to heavy losses caused by the coronavirus.
It remains to be seen whether the Premier League will be able to negotiate a new rights deal in China on terms of a similar scale due to challenging economic and political conditions.
Some experts say that PPTV overpaid for the rights.
– How did we get here? –
According to British media, the fallout dates back to March, when PPTV allegedly failed to make a £ 160 million ($ 210 million) payment for coverage of the 2019/20 season.
The Premier League gave little in its brief statement on Thursday, while PPTV, in its response, referred to the coronavirus pandemic, saying: “After many rounds of talks, disagreements on the value of rights persist between the PP and the Premier League. “
According to the BBC, citing sources, PPTV offered to extend the deal, but under revised terms, taking into account the empty stands and the heavily disrupted match list caused by the coronavirus.
– What is PPTV and who does it belong to? –
Owned by Suning Holding Group, PPTV is a leading streaming website that also shows other major European soccer leagues and the UEFA Champions League.
Suning also owns Italian giants Inter Milan and Chinese Super League team Jiangsu Suning.
Founded in 1990, the company has more than 280,000 employees worldwide, according to its company profile, and is involved in everything from retail to financial services to real estate.
In April, retail service provider Suning.com reported 2019 revenue of 270 billion yuan ($ 40 billion).
– Is politics involved? –
The great unknown.
Relations between the British and Chinese governments have become strained in recent months.
Ties soured after London ordered the phasing out of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei from its 5G network.
Britain also offered citizenship to millions of Hong Kong citizens in response to a sweeping new security law that Beijing imposed on the former British colony.
The risks of the Premier League becoming entangled in thorny diplomatic affairs were underscored in December, when Chinese state broadcaster CCTV withdrew a game between Arsenal and Manchester City after Gunners midfielder Mesut Ozil voiced support for China’s Uighur minority, facing a crackdown in Xinjiang. Province.
– What is the view inside China? –
AFP was unable to reach Suning for comment, and Chinese state media have focused on reporting the Premier League-PPTV split, rather than offering an opinion.
A prominent columnist for a major state sports newspaper declined comment due to the sensitivity of the issue.
A respected commentator accused the British media of turning a non-political story into a political one.
Opinion among soccer fans is divided on Weibo, similar to Twitter, where the story generated more than 100 million views, some blaming PPTV and others blaming the Premier League for the collapse of the deal.
But with the Premier League starting again in just eight days, Chinese fans will be desperate to see a new deal to bring English football to their screens.
© 2020 AFP
