Judge orders Chinese broadcaster to pay the Premier League £157m after top-flight bosses demanded fees owed following TV deal termination in September 2020
- A Chinese broadcaster has been ordered to pay the Premier League £157m
- England’s top-flight terminated their TV deal with PPLive Sports in 2020
- Premier League bosses have been pursuing money owed totalling £157m
- A High Court judge has ruled in favour of the league against the broadcaster
A High Court judge says a foreign broadcaster must pay nearly £157million it owes to the Premier League.
Mr Justice Fraser, who is based in London, ruled on a dispute between Premier League bosses and PPLive Sports International, which is based in the Hong Kong Special Administration Region of China, on Tuesday, following a hearing in November.
The judge said a dispute arose after Premier League bosses entered into contracts under which PPL obtained rights to show both live and delayed Premier League football matches, plus highlights, in China.
A High Court judge has ordered a Chinese broadcaster to pay the Premier League £157m
Top-flight bosses have sought the payment after terminating their TV deal in September 2020
He said the deal was due to run for three seasons starting in 2019-20.
Premier League bosses, who terminated agreements in September 2020, said they were owed two instalment payments totalling nearly £157 million.
The judge ruled in their favour.
In September 2020, the Premier League issued a statement saying bosses had terminated agreements for Premier League coverage in China with its “licensee in that territory”.
Later that same month the league announced it had agreed a new deal for the 2020-21 season with Tencent Sports.