Viasat Bags Baltic Rights for Premier League Coverage

STOCKHOLM: Viasat Broadcasting has picked up the exclusive broadcast rights in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for England’s Barclays Premier League.

Modern Times Group currently has the exclusive rights for Barclays Premier League in Sweden and Bulgaria, as well as the non-exclusive rights in Denmark through its TV 2 Sport joint venture.

The deal covers the next three seasons. MTG will broadcast Barclays Premier League coverage in the three Baltic countries from the start of the 2010-11 season on August 14 until the end of the 2012-13 season. The rights will be made available on the Viasat Sport Baltic pay-TV channel, as well as on a new dedicated Viasat Premier League HD channel, which will be launched on Viasat’s satellite platform in the Baltics on August 13. MTG will air all 380 Premier League matches each season, and will offer both local-language and English commentary and a wide range of Premier League-related programming, including highlights, profiles, interviews and analysis.

Hans-Holger Albrecht, the president and CEO of MTG, commented: “The acquisition of the exclusive broadcasting rights to Barclays Premier League in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania solidifies our position as the leading pan-Baltic premium pay-TV provider with an unrivalled premium sport content offering. Premier League is one of the world’s most exciting sports rights and we are proud to be able to broadcast it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”

Albrecht added, “We now offer Barclays Premier League in seven countries in Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe, on both pay-TV and free-TV channels, and we look forward to continue bringing the best in sports entertainment to our viewers.”