By Andrew Warshaw
July 16 – Al Jazeera’s increasing influence as a major player in televised sport has been underlined by the announcement that the Qatar-based broadcaster has bought exclusive rights to screen England’s Premier League in the Middle East and North Africa for three years starting with the coming season.
The ambitious company has reached agreement with TV sports rights firm MP & Silva for access to all 380 Premier League matches across media platforms and devices in 23 countries. It takes over the broadcast of the Premier League to the region from the previous rightsholder Abu Dhabi Sports Channel.
“We are extremely excited by the addition of the Barclays Premier League for the next three-year cycle, the value that this can add to our customer proposition and extending further our portfolio of top European football,” Al-Jazeera Sport chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi said in a statement without disclosing a fee.
The Premier League’s chief executive, Richard Scudamore, welcomed the deal. “We are extremely pleased to welcome Al-Jazeera Sport as a new partner in Middle East North Africa,” he said. “We look forward to working with them and are confident they will broadcast the Barclays Premier League in a comprehensive and innovative manner to our fans in the region.”
Part of Al Jazeera’s English-language coverage will be fronted by former Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray, re-united on television after being forced out of the station in early 2011 following off- air remarks about a female assistant referee.
Keys and Gray resurrected their acclaimed careers on a highly popular daily show on Talksport, the British commercial radio station where their contract ended in May but for whom they will reportedly continue to work on a weekly basis while based in Qatar.
Al Jazeera Sport, which has 19 Live Sports and Sports News channels in the region, will launch three new HD channels in order to show all the Premier League games. Arabic coverage of the richest league in the world will be fronted by Ayman Jada and Mohammed Saadon Al Kuwari.
The company has been gradually building up its sports broadcasting business, launching channels in France and the United States. It has also secured exclusive rights from MP & Silva and Pitch International for Serie A and Major League Soccer (MLS) plus major cup competitions, including the FA Cup, along with international games involving Brazil and England.
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