Fans of English football’s top flight in the Southeast Asian country will have access to 4K coverage of every EPL match
The Premier League has announced that Malaysian pay-TV network Astro has retained exclusive rights to top flight football in the country. Fans from across Malaysia won’t need to use fotyval soccer streams to catch all of the action from games involving the likes of Man City and Liverpool for the next three seasons.
The exact financial terms of the agreement are unknown but the renewal means Astro will hold the broadcasting rights in Malaysia from next season until 2024/25. They will have the rights to show all 380 matches per season and have the abilty to do so in 4k ultra high definition (UHD).
This latest deal continues a trend of high profile global broadcasting deals for the Premier League with overseas revenue set to eclipse that of domestic TV rights for the first time ever in the coming years.
Astro Group CEO Euan Smith said of the deal:
“2021 was a big year of sports, but 2022 promises to be even more exciting for sport fans in Malaysia,”
“We would like to thank the Premier League team for choosing to put their trust in Astro again, continuing our successful, long-standing partnership with the league.”
Chief Media Officer for the Premier League, Paul Molnar said:
“The Premier League is pleased to continue our excellent partnership with Astro, and we are very happy that they view our league as a vital part of their live sports offering.”
“They will be an outstanding home again for the Premier League over the next three seasons and we look forward to working together to showcase the league to new and existing fans throughout Malaysia.”
This news comes on the back of the six-year deal which the league signed earlier this year with broadcaster Star Hub to show matches in Singapore. Studies have shown that Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are among the most popular football teams in the Southeast Asian region and now fans from Singapore, as well as Malaysia, can rest assured that their favourite stars will continue to be available on their screens for the foreseeable future.
The six year deal with Star Hub comes into play starting next season after the pay-TV provider took over from Singtel, who had owned the rights for more than a decade. The outgoing company are said to be understandably disappointed about the situation but the good news for fans in Singapore is that they can continue enjoying elite football in high quality on TV and via live streaming for many years to come.
The Premier League continues to expand its brand globally and a big market in that equation is Asia, where the league is extremely popular among football fans. This growing number of potential consumers excites EPL executives who are always on the look out for ways to increase revenue for the league and its teams.
More global broadcasting deals are expected to be signed by the league in the coming months as several existing agreements come to an end, ahead of the 2022-23 season.