MUMBAI: BSkyB has been awarded the UK Long-Form Linear broadcast rights for 226 Barclays Premier League matches per season for seasons 2013-16.

The UK Long-Form Linear Package comprises the rights to make available delayed long-form coverage of 226 Barclays Premier League matches per season.

"We are extremely pleased that BSkyB has again chosen to invest in our UK Long-Form linear broadcast rights," said Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore. "These rights make available delayed long-form coverage of all Barclays Premier League matches not broadcast live and are an important part of our overall rights offering.

"Sky Sports has, for several seasons, used them to great effect with the successful ?Football First? programme that will continue to make available the best Barclays Premier League action to fans across the country."

Sky Sports MD Barney Francis said, "This is fantastic news for Sky Sports viewers who will continue to enjoy unrivalled coverage of the Barclays Premier League on TV and wherever they are with Sky Go.

"We?ll give fans the first chance to see extended highlights of all the matches every Saturday, as well as the key moments throughout the week. Add these rights to our 116 live matches from next season, which include MNF and Super Sunday double-headers, and Sky Sports truly remains the home of the Barclays Premier League."

The Premier League has also awarded the UK Near-Live clip rights to News International for all 380 Barclays Premier League matches a season for seasons 2013-16.

The UK Near-Live Clips Package comprises rights to make available audiovisual clips of all 380 Barclays Premier League matches on the internet and on mobile devices. The package includes the rights to broadcast in-game clips for all matches other than 3 pm Saturday kick-offs and extended clips of all matches on a Monday morning following a weekend match round.

MUMBAI: SkyNet has been awarded the live audio-visual broadcast rights for all 380 English Premier League matches per season for seasons 2013/16 in Myanmar.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore said, "We are extremely pleased that SkyNet has chosen to invest in the Premier League and welcome them as a new broadcast partner. We look forward to developing a strong working relationship with them as they showcase the Barclays Premier League to our fans in Myanmar."

SkyNet MD Daw Myint Myint Win said, "Football is the key driver for SkyNet and the acquisition of the BPL rights is the culmination of SkyNet?s comprehensive football offering. We are thrilled to have the opportunity of working with the BPL to develop its popularity in Myanmar.

"This was the first time the BPL rights were offered to the territory of Myanmar on a standalone basis and, despite intense competition from international companies, SkyNet is delighted to be able to offer the world?s most-followed football league to its viewers."

MUMBAI: IMG Media has acquired the Premier League live audio visual broadcast rights for Japan, Vietnam and Mongolia. IMG Media will have the rights to broadcast all 380 Barclays Premier League matches per season from 2013-16.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore said, "We know IMG well and are extremely pleased that they have chosen to invest in the Premier League broadcasting rights for Japan, Vietnam and Mongolia. We look forward to working with them as they distribute the Barclays Premier League in a comprehensive and innovative manner to our fans in all three countries."

IMG Media SVP and Head of Football Michael Mellor, "The popularity of the Premier League has never been higher in the Asian regions and we anticipate there will be strong competition for the various rights in all three territories."

MUMBAI: US media conglomerate NBCUniversal via the NBC Sports Group has acquired the exclusive US media rights to the English Premier League which takes place in the UK through a multi-year agreement that begins with the 2013-14 season.

As per the agreement, NBCUniversal becomes the exclusive English- and Spanish-language media rights holder to all 380 Premier League matches across all platforms and devices in the United States.

NBC Sports Group chairman Mark Lazarus said, "The Barclays Premier League is the preeminent soccer league in the world, and is on the cusp of exponential popularity growth here in the US. NBCU will provide the broadest programming and promotional commitment that The League has ever experienced here in the United States. The Premier League provides NBCU with best-in-class content for 10 months of the year across our far-reaching broadcast, cable and digital platforms. This is a perfect match."

Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore said, "The NBC Sports Group has an excellent track record in sports broadcasting and will showcase the Barclays Premier League to fans across the USA through its extensive network of channels and high quality production. We are extremely pleased that NBC has chosen to invest in the Premier League and look forward to working with them for many years to come."

Each of the 20 Premier League teams plays 38 matches over a 41-week period from August to May. Although specific programming details will be announced at a later date, NBC, NBC Sports Network, and NBCSports.com will all be utilised to present live Premier League coverage, as well as Telemundo and mun2 for Spanish-language coverage.

Additional NBCUniversal platforms and networks will occasionally be scheduled to air Premier League matches, while NBC Sports Live Extra will provide the live streaming platform across web, tablet and mobile devices.

The NBC Sports Group will also produce shoulder programming around its live-event coverage of the Premier League, including pre- and post-match shows, as well as highlight and weekly wrap-up programs. It is also developing a package to make sure the most avid fans have access to every Premier League match.

MUMBAI: The English Premier League has reaffirmed its position as the most popular football league in the world following a record breaking television deal worth ?3.018 billion with pay TV broadcaster Sky Sports and British Telecom for the UK market.

BSkyB, which has built its British sports broadcasting business on the back of Premier League, has secured five of the seven packages totalling 116 matches while British Telecom has secured two packages totalling up to 38 matches for seasons 2013/14 to 2015/16.

The deal represents an increase of ?1.25 billion on the current broadcast settlement, which shares rights between BSkyB and ESPN, which has lost out on the rights this time around despite a strong bid. Sky will fork out ?2.3 billion for the audio-visual rights over the three year period, while BT will pay ?738 million.

ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has the exclusive rights to broadcast the Barclays Premier League (BPL) on multiple platforms in 18 markets across Asia including: India, Indonesia, East Timor, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, North & South Korea, The Philippines, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and in partnership with Astro for Malaysia & Brunei.

Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore said, "As ever, the security provided by broadcast revenues will enable our clubs to continue to invest in all aspects of their football activities and plan sustainably for the foreseeable future. This deal allows them to keep delivering what fans want; top quality football in some of world?s best club stadia and an increasing focus on and commitment to areas such as Youth Development."

MUMBAI: The BBC has retained free-to-air highlights of the Premier League in the United Kingdom until the end of the 2015/16 season.

With a bid of ?179.7m the BBC has retained their highlights package, including the traditional Saturday evening Match of the Day programme, the Sunday morning repeat, MotD2 on Sunday evenings and other evenings when Premier League fixtures justify a show.

Match of the Day and MotD2 will also be available on the BBC?s iPlayer from midnight on Mondays.

Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore said: "The free-to-air highlights are extremely important to the broadcast reach of the Premier League; allowing the competition and our clubs to be seen by the maximum possible number of fans across the country.The BBC has done a fantastic job for fans of Premier League clubs by providing quality coverage and analysis across their programmes. We are very pleased to be continuing our partnership with them."

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker added: "It is wonderful news that we have MotD for another three years. It is a flagship programme and it shows how much the BBC values sport and the importance of football."

The new contract will see MOTD celebrate its 50th birthday.

BBC Director of Sport Barbara Slater said: "With such an amazing season and thrilling finale, Premier League football has never been more exciting and dramatic. We?re absolutely delighted that the TV highlights will continue to be available to licence fee payers. We?ve seen audiences for MOTD grow in recent years and the programme remains one of the BBC?s best loved and most iconic brands."