Judge orders Chinese broadcaster to pay the Premier League £157million

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

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.