CCTV to resume Premier League coverage after two year absence

China Central Television (CCTV), the country’s sole nationwide linear broadcaster, is set to broadcast the English Premier League live for the first time since 2020.

While no formal deal has been announced, SportBusiness reports that the broadcaster has agreed a deal with the league through to the end of the 2024-25 season, with CCTV recently appearing on the Premier League’s website as its broadcast partner for China.

CCTV is scheduled to broadcast two matches from the upcoming opening weekend of the season, including the beginning of the Erik ten Hag era at Manchester United as Brighton visits Old Trafford on Sunday.

CCTV had previously served as the EPL’s Chinese broadcast partner via a sublicencing deal with PP Sports. PP Sports agreed a deal through to the end of the 2021/22 season, but it lasted less than a season after the league terminated the deal for non-payment of rights fees.

The league subsequently agreed a streaming rights deal with Tencent for the season, before agreeing a four season streaming deal with iQiyi Sports for 2021/22-2024/25. In addition to iQiyi, the league will be streamed on China Mobile’s Migu streaming service, which it acquired via a sublicensing deal with iQiyi.