PPTV seals another 3-year EPL copyright deal
Former England and Liverpool striker Michael Owen displays his shuttlecock skills while attending the English Premier League copyright cooperation launch ceremony in Shanghai.
PP Sports has sealed another three-year copyright cooperation with the English Premier League, it announced in Shanghai.
The online streaming platform, also known as PPTV, will continue to cover the world's most popular league until the 2021-22 season, and promised to upgrade its service for viewers by setting up reporting stations in the cities of London, Manchester and Liverpool.
PPTV is the sole copyright holder of the EPL on China's mainland and Macau. It holds the copyright for the English FA Cup on the mainland until the 2023-24 season. The platform also covers the other four major European leagues, as well as the UEFA Champions League, the Europa League, the Chinese Super League, and the AFC Champions League.
Its parent firm, Suning Sports, is a subsidiary of Suning Holdings Group, which owns about 70 percent stake in Italian Serie A side Inter Milan.
"We will increase our investment in the sports sector," said Sun Weimin, vice president of Suning Holdings Group. "We are breaking the border between football and commerce, and will use sports to bridge our resources."
Nanjing-based Suning is better known for its online retailing in China. The company thinks sport broadcasting is useful for attracting young people.
According to Sun, PPTV had more than six million members who paid to watch its sports broadcasting and programs in 2018, up from 1.3 million at the end of 2017. Over 60 percent of PPTV's sports program viewers are aged between 26 and 35.
The total viewership of the 2018-19 EPL season reached 1.28 billion, and about a quarter of them were live match viewers.
In the new EPL season, PPTV promised its users upgraded technology, including the 4K+HDR broadcasting and Libero strategy analysis system.
To enrich the viewers' experience, PPTV will set up reporting stations in London, Manchester and Liverpool, starting from the 2019-20 season, for self-made programs before and after a match.
Offline gatherings will be organized for fans to watch games and communicate with each other.
