London, The English Premier League (EPL) has become increasingly popular in the United States (US) over the last few years, with three broadcasters currently competing in an auction for the TV rights of the competition from 2022/23 through until 2027/28.

While the last deal that was clinched back in 2015 was worth one billion dollars, the EPL is now expected to sell its broadcasting rights for double that price.

According to The Financial Times, the three bidders competing for the prize in the US are Comcast’s NBC, the current rights holder in the country, Disney’s ESPN and ViacomCBS.

Concerned that the EPL will experience a drop in interest from the American audience following the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition’s executives didn’t expect the income of the US rights to double.

Meanwhile, ESPN acquired LaLiga Santander’s TV rights back in May for a reported USD 1.4 billion, with CBS showing the UEFA Champions League and the Italian Serie A.

Last week, the Daily Mail reported that the EPL is expected to receive a huge financial boost, as the league is reportedly close to securing a combined 11.6 billion euro deal to sell its TV rights for the period between 2022 and 2025 to domestic and foreign providers.

As a result of these financial gains, the EPL dominance is only set to continue. Able to pay higher transfer fees and offer higher wages than most clubs in the world, the gap could further widen between the teams in England and those from elsewhere in Europe.

For example, of the 20 most expensive most expensive transfers made last summer, 14 of those were EPL clubs. What’s more, they include the likes of West Ham, Aston Villa and Leicester City, which means the strength in depth of the EPL is increasing, the Spanish MARCA newspaper reported.

Source: Oman News Agency