ESPN continues to make a big push with soccer coverage.
ESPN has acquired the rights to air English Premier League matches in the United States, reports EPL Talk. ESPN2 will televise two matches per week — a 7:45 AM ET window on Saturday mornings and a 3:00 PM ET window on Monday afternoons.
Setanta US previously held the rights to those two telecast windows, as part of a sublicensing deal with U.S. EPL rightsholder FOX Soccer Channel. FSC “[acquired] back the TV rights for the two timeslots from Setanta and [sublicensed] them to ESPN.”
ESPN2’s first EPL match in the U.S. will pit Chelsea against Hull City on Saturday, August 15.
Earlier this year, ESPN acquired U.K. television rights to English Premier League matches through 2013. U.S. television rights to the EPL, currently held by FOX Soccer Channel, will be up for bid during the fall.
(via Fang’s Bites)
