ESPN, a leading international sports network, has secured the rights to broadcast English soccer’s Premier League matches in the Caribbean for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. This development comes after pay-TV broadcaster VertiCast Media terminated its deal a year ahead of schedule.
VertiCast had held rights to broadcast England's top-flight football league in the region under a three-year contract. However, it announced that it would not see out its final year just three days before kick-off of the new campaign. This unexpected move left broadcasting rights for one of football’s most prestigious leagues up for grabs.
Seizing this opportunity, ESPN managed to strike a deal to show the remaining 350 matches of the 2024-25 season. The agreement also ensures that these matches will be available to subscribers on Flow TV's streaming platform in this region. Live Premier League matches will be aired on existing channels - ESPN Caribbean and ESPN2 - as well as on their new offering, ESPN Extra.
Start of ESPN Extra
ESPN Extra is set to offer around six live matches per round along with pre-match and post-match studio shows, press conferences, archive matches and other shoulder programming. The channel is currently available free until September 15th.
Coverage on all platforms will commence when league play resumes after an international break on September 14th.
The Premier League boasts notable players from the Caribbean such as Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey, West Ham United’s Michail Antonio, Brentford’s Ethan Pinnock and Bobby DeCordova-Reid from Leicester City who are sure to draw regional viewership interest.
A look back at VertiCast's troublesome coverage
VertiCast experienced several issues with its coverage during last season including reported blackouts and technical problems encountered by customers on the broadcaster’s CSport television channels and mobile app. These issues date back to February 2024, with the last Premier League match aired on CSport being on May 3rd, two weeks before the end of the 2023-24 season. In a statement issued on August 13th regarding its rights termination, VertiCast did not provide specific reasons for its decision.
VertiCast released statement:
“After delivering the Premier League to fans across the Caribbean, VertiCast Media’s term as the broadcast rights holder for the Premier League has concluded. We are proud to have made Premier League matches available regionally and, for the first time, to the widest possible audience through the CSport App, cable channels, and free-to-air television channels.”
The acquisition of Premier League broadcasting rights by ESPN promises to bring high-quality coverage of one of football's most prestigious leagues to Caribbean sports fans. With this move, ESPN continues to expand its global footprint in sports broadcasting while providing an engaging and reliable viewing experience for fans in this region.
