Premier League and NBC Sports executives in talks to potentially bring 39th league game to US

The Premier League is in talks with NBC Sports to potentially stage a 39th match in the United States, as a network executive vowed to “continue to push” for the English top flight’s first game to be played abroad.

Jon Miller – NBC Sports president of acquisitions and partnerships – revealed that the exclusive broadcaster of Premier League matches in the United States (since 2013) is currently working with league executives to develop a plan to further deepen ties between English football and American football. Public in the coming years.

“We’ve had conversations with the Premier League and they’ve been very open and receptive to listening to me,” Miller told The Athletic’s Adam Crafton in part this week.

“We participated in the Premier League Summer Series (in pre-season) last year, where six teams came; Fulham, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford. We played nine games in seven days in five cities across America (and 265,000 fans were in attendance). It was great.’

The Premier League previously tried, unsuccessfully, to organize a 39th round across the world in 2008, but abandoned the plan after facing backlash from supporters and the media.

Jon Miller – NBC Sports president of acquisitions and partnerships – supports football overseas

Last week, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters remained coy about the possibility of an official league match being played abroad, saying it was not currently part of the Premier League’s plans , even if he admitted that the door remained “ajar”.

NBC Sports is currently locked into a six-year contract with the Premier League for exclusive, ongoing coverage of matches in the United States since 2022. The deal was reportedly worth $450 million per season to the Premier League , “which represents more than five years”. once the first deal signed with NBC when they started broadcasting the Premier League in 2012,” according to The Athletic.

Currently, NBC ranks among the Premier League’s most important partners, as the network contributes immensely to the spending power and revenue potential of top-tier clubs.

Additionally, Premier League matches have reached new heights in the United States over the past 16 months, as the March match between Manchester City and Arsenal attracted a record 2.6 million viewers on English-language channels and Spanish speakers.

Premier League CEO Richard Masters has said an away game is not part of the league’s plans.

Miller also wants to provide better audio access to fans, which will include the managers’ microphone.

Additionally, over the past 11 years, nearly 40 million viewers have watched the Premier League each season on NBC, and a Nielson study found that 48% of all soccer fans in the United States now have a team favorite Premier League.

Miller also revealed that he would like to provide better audio access to fans, as he wants to offer a deeper insight into how managers interact with fourth officials, players and the rest of their coaching staff.

He told The Athletic: “There are two things that really bring the viewer and the fan closer to the action: access and audio. So any time you can increase your access and grow your stars, it’s great. And people love hearing what Jurgen Klopp says to his team or what he says on the sidelines.

“We realize there needs to be some protection against this. But we think these are the kinds of things we continue to push the boundaries on. And the Premier League is responsive. They are really good when we present ideas to them. Far be it from me to try to tell the Premier League what makes a good product. Their product is spectacular.

“But just like we do with the NFL and golf, we’re constantly talking with our partners and thinking about things we can do to make the games better and more engaging to try to expand our audience.”