IMG secures Premier League rights for ships and planes

The Premier League has confirmed that IMG Media, a division of IMG Worldwide, has agreed a new three-year deal with the Premier League for aeroplanes and ships rights. The deal includes extensive coverage on Sport 24, the 24-hour live sports channel exclusively produced for the airline and cruise industry.

The new agreement covers the 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons, and will mean that Barclays Premier League matches will be shown live and in highlights on specially equipped Lufthansa and Gulf Air planes as well as Norwegian Cruise Liners (NCL) and Carnival UK. IMG Media is in ongoing discussions with a number of other airlines and cruise-liner companies to expand the coverage.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore comments: “We know IMG well and are extremely pleased that they have chosen to invest in the Premier League’s exclusive aeroplanes and ships broadcasting rights. We look forward to working with them as they distribute the Barclays Premier League in a way that allows our fans to enjoy the competition while travelling overseas.”

Richard Wise, senior vice-president, IMG Media, comments: “The Barclays Premier League is the most popular and exciting league in world club football. It is in great demand by passengers world-wide and is also a tremendous asset for Sport 24. We are delighted to have extended our agreement for another three years.

“Our goal is to continue to distribute the very best live sports action to both these markets. With the launch of Sport 24 earlier this year we have featured some of the best sporting action within one channel. Events include the London 2012 Olympic Games, UEFA Euro 2012, the Ryder Cup, Bundesliga, Formula 1 , golf majors including The Masters and The Open, Grand Slam tennis from Wimbledon, Roland Garros and the Australian Open and, of course, the Barclays Premier League.”