• Loading stock data...
Saturday, August 23, 2025
The biggest names in sports media. All in one room. Buy tickets now!

NBC Sports Plots Plan To Deepen Premier League Reach In U.S.

Jul 25, 2018; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah (11) plays the ball against Manchester City during the second half of an International Champions Cup soccer match at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
NBC sports premier league
Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

As NBC Sports prepares to broadcast the Premier League for the seventh consecutive season, coordinating producer Pierre Moossa says the focus for this year is quite simple.

“Everything is about increasing the reach of the Premier League across all of our platforms,” said Moossa. “Looking back at last season, we want to build on the success of trying to be anywhere that fans are consuming the Premier League, whether that’s on television, on YouTube, via a podcast or even live and in person.”

That means things like once again sending all of the announce team over to the U.K. to broadcast the starting weekend of matches live, which Moosa said will likely happen at another point in time this season as well. It also means producing more content for  YouTube, like the new series “Crossroads,” which looks back at critical moments in Premier League history and what would have happened if they went the other way. There will also be a boost to NBCSN’s pre-match show on Sundays as well, which is now being extended to two hours.

“The number one challenge anyone has in sports broadcasting is that there is such great competition for people’s time,” Moossa said. “If someone is choosing to consume our content, we need to make sure we’re making it worth their time by making it compelling and that is getting them closer to these clubs and their stars.”

NBC Sports’ ability to get fans closer to the Premier League received a huge boost this offseason when the league’s new broadcast contracts kicked in for the 2019-2022 cycle. While the Premier League typically does deals in three-year increments, NBC acquired six years of the league’s rights in 2015 in a deal that cost the network more than a $1 billion, more than double annually what NBC Sports was paying in its previous deal.

But while NBC Sports had the luxury of knowing its deal was locked in, it did benefit from two key changes.

First, the Premier League has further relaxed its media access policies as it relates to broadcasters, mostly in response to interest from its international media partners. Unlike North American leagues, broadcast partners for European soccer leagues don’t receive nearly the same level of access, keeping them off the field or on sidelines as well as in the locker room.

However, Moossa said, the Premier League is now providing more access on stadium grounds and has improved the amount of access to players not only for interviews, but for marketing messaging as well. NBC Sports will also have access to the locker rooms at some of the biggest clubs, such as at Manchester United’s Old Trafford.

READ MORE: Liverpool FC Ready to Build Overseas Brand on U.S. Tour

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, Sky Sports is now the host broadcaster of the Premier League in the U.K – the network that NBC Sports’ parent company Comcast acquired in September 2018.

The coupling of the two networks will be a boon for U.S. Premier League fans, Moossa said. 

“You really get the best of both worlds – you’re not only getting the benefit of being part of the international broadcast and having every match available for viewing, but you’re also getting all of the content produced by both Sky and Premier League Productions,” he said.

Some of that content will get pushed directly through NBC Sports, such as Sky Sports transfer deadline day coverage, which was simulcast on the U.S. network with NBCSN talent taking part. Content such as a player or manager interview done by Sky Sports talent will also be shared during pregame and postgame NBC Sports coverage.

Some of that content, such as linear Sky Sports content like its matchday shows and its popular Goals On Sunday highlight show will be showcased in the OTT product Premier League Pass, which includes every match live and costs $64.99 for the season.

The enhanced partnership with Sky Sports also means that the higher-profile matches that typically air in the 12:30 pm ET window on Saturdays can now be broadcast on NBC, versus having to be aired on NBCSN.

That should further juice the network’s Premier League ratings, which averaged 457,000 viewers per match window last season, a 2% increase over the previous year. 

READ MORE: Like Novak Djokovic’s Outfit? NBCUniversal Wants To Help You Buy It

There is hope too that the transfer of U.S. Men’s National Team star Christian Pulisic also helps those figures as well. Moossa said that in a marketing survey that NBC Sports did in Boston at its live Premier League event, 25% of attending fans said the player not on their favorite club that they’re most interested in watching was Pulisic, ahead of global stars like Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Liverpool’s Mo Salah, who polled at 12% and 9%, respectively.

“There certainly are high expectations for Christian and I think he will be a huge star, but it’s a balancing act – he is a player we will watch and will be discussing, but we need to be careful to not be focusing on a player that we’re not sure how much they’ll be playing, at least at first,” Moossa said. “We’ve always focused on making sure we’re telling the story of all 20 clubs and their players – we expect we’ll be doing even more of that this season.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Inter Miami bench

Inter Miami Post-Red Card Phone Coaching May Have Been Legal

Javier Mascherano appeared to continue coaching through a call from the stands.
Jul 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announces the pick for the Athletics pick during the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy.

MLB Confident New Rights Will Exceed $550M ESPN Deal

MLB would redistribute rights forfeited by ESPN back in February.

Premier League Sets New Highs: $3.2B Spent, Record U.S. Viewership

The league’s transfer spending beats the rest of Europe’s Big Five combined.

NBC’s MLB Chase Built on Vision for Yearlong Sunday Night Sports

NBC Sports is gunning for a Sunday night slate rivaling “The Sopranos.”

Featured Today

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.
Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
August 22, 2025

‘Not Ready to Jump In’: Power 4 Commissioners Aren’t Sold on PE

Top leaders in college sports have yet to see a satisfactory proposal.
Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks at quarterback Drew Allar (15) during the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium.
August 22, 2025

Private Equity Enters College Sports—Without the Equity

As college football starts, lending agreements have become PE’s best way in.
Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Eric Gray (20) returns a kickoff against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half at MetLife Stadium.
August 18, 2025

‘Fauxbacks’ Throw Back to a Retro Uniform That Never Existed

Many throwback jerseys are brand-new designs or “Franken-Unis.”

Fox Enters Streaming Wars With Leaner, Sports-Heavy Approach

A different strategy marks the arrival of the network’s streaming service.
August 20, 2025

Bundesliga Bets on YouTube Creators for Live U.K. Game Streams

Bundesliga is the top German soccer league.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. (L to R) Quin Stiller as Will Zalatoris Caddie, Will Zalatoris as Himself, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio as Oscar Mejias and Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore in Happy Gilmore2.
August 21, 2025

‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched U.S. Movie Debut

The Adam Sandler, golf-themed movie sets more streaming records.
Sponsored

Building A Pro League From Scratch

Front Office Sports and Gainbridge® spotlight what it takes to build a professional women’s soccer league.
Jey Uso and Pat McAfee look at each other after Uso’s win Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
August 20, 2025

WWE Will Leave Peacock for ESPN 6 Months Early

Peacock’s final show will be “Clash in Paris” on Aug. 31.
August 20, 2025

NFL Preseason Games Are Popping Up on YouTube’s Sunday Ticket

The $2 billion out-of-market package covers only the regular season.
August 20, 2025

Inside ESPN’s ‘Industry Shaping’ DTC Plan, What’s at Stake

Many bundle offers and opaque metrics mark the high-profile launch.
Kyle Busch talks with Nexstar Media Group, Wednesday February 14, 2024 during Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway
August 19, 2025

$6.2B Nexstar-Tegna Deal Could Create Local Sports Juggernaut

CW parent company Nexstar looks to acquire its rival in a major deal.