Although a date hasn’t been completely finalized, the bidding for the US TV rights to the Premier League for seasons 2016-2019 is expected to take place this May or June.
TV and Internet rights for the Premier League are currently owned by NBC Sports. Given the critically acclaimed coverage by NBC, which has given the league a ratings boost in the United States during the past 2 years, NBC’s hard work could end up being its own worst enemy as the TV rights are expected to dramatically exceed the $240 million that NBC paid for Premier League rights for 2013-2016.
If the TV rights in the United Kingdom can be viewed as a barometer of demand for the Premier League (see below), the 75% increase in TV rights in the UK (from 2013-2016 to 2016-19) indicates that the winning bid for the new US TV rights deal is likely to increase substantially — probably not as much as 75%, but still by a considerable amount.
The leading contenders for the Premier League TV rights in the US are expected to be NBC Sports, a probable joint bid from FOX Sports-ESPN and other networks to be determined.
