ESPN, a leading international sports broadcaster, has successfully renewed its contract to broadcast English Premier League matches in the Caribbean for another three seasons. This new agreement extends these rights for the 2025-26, 2026-27, and 2027-28 campaigns.
The extended deal will ensure that all 380 Premier League matches each season are exclusively broadcasted on ESPN and the Disney+ streaming platform. A selection of matches will also be aired on linear channels.
Paul Molnar, chief media officer at the Premier League expressed his satisfaction with this development. The renewal comes after ESPN initially acquired Premier League rights in September to cover the remainder of the 2024-25 season following VertiCast Media's early termination of its deal.
VertiCast Media's early exit
VertiCast held rights to broadcast English top-flight games in this region under a three-year contract but announced it would not see out its final year just three days before kickoff. This unexpected move left broadcasting rights up for grabs for that year, allowing ESPN to strike a deal to show 350 matches of that season.
Paul Molnar, chief media officer at the Premier League, has said:
“We are delighted that ESPN has decided to extend its long-standing partnership with the Premier League for another three years.
“ESPN provides fans with outstanding coverage of the league through live match broadcasts and comprehensive programming, and we are excited to remain a central part of its live sports lineup.”
The extension is significant news for sports fans across the Caribbean where several notable players ply their trade in England's top flight league. These include Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey, West Ham United’s Michail Antonio, Brentford’s Ethan Pinnock and Bobby DeCordova-Reid from Leicester City who all represent Jamaica at an international level.
Recent developments in broadcast rights activity
In terms of recent activity surrounding Premier League broadcast rights globally; late January saw Infront agency extend free-to-air distribution rights across sub-Saharan Africa through till 2027-28 as well. Infront's current media distribution tie-up began with the start of the 2022-23 season and is set to end after the ongoing 2024-25 season. GlobalData Sport has valued this agreement at $19.5 million in total.
Moreover, December saw new deals disclosed in Poland (Canal Plus) and Vietnam (Astro) for the 2025-26 to 2027-28 cycle, indicating a growing global interest in English football.
ESPN's extended deal with Premier League ensures that sports fans across the Caribbean will continue to enjoy exclusive coverage of all matches each season until 2028. This development not only strengthens ESPN's position as a leading sports broadcaster but also enhances the reach of Premier League soccer across different regions.
