News International buys Premiership mobile and web rights

News International, the publisher of The Times and The Sun has secured the near-live mobile and internet rights to 380 Premier League games per season unxder an exclusive three year deal.

It is the first time that a newspaper group has bought audio-visual rights for the Premiership which were previously shared by American broadcaster ESPN and internet company Yahoo!.   It is believed that News International bid more than the combined sum of £30m paid by ESPN and Yahoo! under the last deal.

News International, the publisher of The Times and The Sun has secured the near-live mobile and internet rights to 380 Premier League games per season unxder an exclusive three year deal.

It is the first time that a newspaper group has bought audio-visual rights for the Premiership which were previously shared by American broadcaster ESPN and internet company Yahoo!.   It is believed that News International bid more than the combined sum of £30m paid by ESPN and Yahoo! under the last deal.

Digital subscribers will be able to watch up to eight 30-second clips during Sunday and weeknight matches on their smartphones and tablets.  Clips from the Saturday 3 p.m. games, which cannot be shown live under EU law, will be available from 5 p.m.   Video highlights will be available through the newspapers’ websites, presumably as part of the subscription deal through which The Times and The Sunday Times are increasingly being marketed.