The UK’s Premier League soccer is to start out producing and distributing its personal content material for the primary time in 20 years after ending its partnership with IMG.
The brand new Premier League in-house operation will launch in 2026, with extra particulars coming in the end following at this time’s resolution made at a Premier League shareholders assembly.
For the previous 20 years, Premier League content material manufacturing and distribution has been supplied in partnership with IMG, working as Premier League Productions (PLP). The 2 will proceed to ship the subsequent two Premier League seasons to broadcasters and mentioned they “stay dedicated to offering a first-class viewing expertise for followers world wide.” At current, PLP mentioned it delivers 6,000 hours of content material per season to 55 worldwide broadcast companions masking 189 world markets, together with long-form content material corresponding to journal exhibits.
Premier League Chief Media Officer Paul Molnar mentioned: “IMG has been a incredible associate for the Premier League over the previous 20 years. They’ve labored tirelessly on our behalf to offer world-class content material and providers to our worldwide companions. Throughout this time, our partnership has been on the forefront of broadcast innovation to ship top-class programming week in, week out all through the season. This has all come collectively to play a significant function in rising our world audiences and recognition.”
IMG EVP Studios Barney Francis known as the pair’s work “game-changing.” ““We now have constructed a state-of-the artwork digital studio, produced award-winning digital content material and launched new cameras and feeds which have made the Premier League’s programming a gold commonplace for world sports activities broadcasting,” he added. “With IMG’s wider manufacturing work for rightsholders such because the EFL, MLS and Apple, the Saudi Professional League, EuroLeague and ETP, we’re persevering with to energy reside sports activities broadcasting, leveraging new applied sciences and reaching wider audiences as our enterprise continues to develop internationally.”
Earlier this 12 months, we revealed that Endeavor-owned IMG Media’s manufacturing arm was shedding round 5% of its workers as financial headwinds hit the world of sports activities manufacturing. IMG makes hours and hours of sports activities content material annually throughout a number of disciplines.