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The increasing number of foreign players, managers and even owners in English football has helped the Premier League secure a string of international television deals that will double its income from overseas media rights to £625m. The deal will give a big boost to the revenues received by clubs. The winner of next season's Premiership title will receive about £50m, a significant increase on the £30.4m given to Chelsea last season for winning the title. Even the team finishing bottom of the league will receive about £30m. Of course, much of the money could end up in higher salaries for players and increased fees for agents.
The Premiership said that its 'open door' policy for foreign players was a significant factor in attracting heightened interest from around the globe that spurred intense competitive bidding within many territories as national broadcasters competed with international media companies, pushing up the prices of the rights. The league has concluded deals with foreign broadcasters in 81 blocs, covering more than 200 countries worth a total of £625m for three years from the start of next season. Those deals follow the £1.7bn domestic deal agreed with Sky and Setanta and a £400m internet and mobile phone rights deal, bringing the total to £2.7bn for three years.
The biggest increases in prices were in Asia and the Middle East, with the rights in some regions going for three or four times the sum currently being paid. For example, pay TV operator PCCW is understood to have paid £10m for the Hong Kong rights following competition from another broadcaster. The deals still trail the most lucrative global sports rights agreement, the £1.5bn a year paid to American football teams in the NFL.
370m people in Africa will get Premiership football free of charge following an intervention by Chancellor Gordon Brown who pointed out that millions of people in Africa would never have any chance of viewing a live Premiership game. The agreements with the relevant broadcasters therefore stipulate a certain level of free-to-air service. The rights package for sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria and South Africa has been split between free-to-air and pay-TV broadcasters. The value of the Premiership television rights for these regions is small compared with Europe and south-east Asia.
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