Why did English Premier League scrap huge broadcasting deal with Chinese TV?

The English Premier League has ended its television broadcasting deal with Chinese streaming service PP Sports with immediate effect.

The contract with PPTV, which is owned by Chinese retail giant Suning, was one of its most lucrative internationally, reportedly worth about £550 million (€616 million).

But the league did not give a reason for terminating the agreement after just one season of a three-year contract.

"The Premier League confirms that it has today terminated its agreements for Premier League coverage in China with its licensee in that territory," read a brief statement on Thursday.

"The Premier League will not be commenting further on the matter at this stage."

Did politics play a part?
Reports suggested that the Premier League had engaged in a standoff with PPTV over a withheld payment when football fixtures were postponed for three months in March during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"From Suning's side, there seems to be some concern about the value for money they're getting from the deal with the Premier League," said Simon Chadwick, professor of Eurasian sport at Emlyon Business School.

"Essentially Suning had paid for something that wasn't being produced, in this case, football matches".

"But this termination does seem to have been the nuclear option because there are lots of other broadcasters across the world who are in negotiations with the Premier League over this".

When football resumed in June, the Premier League was said to have rejected proposals to renegotiate the contract with PP Sports.

But Chadwick told Euronews the issue seems to be about more than the pandemic and money.

"We know how closely politics, business, and football can be related."
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