Premier League clubs considering "huge outlays in the final week of the transfer window will be greatly encouraged" by the start of the auction for overseas TV rights, according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. The signs are that there will be a "significant increase" on the current £2.2B ($3.4B) of contracts -- to be added to the £5.1B ($7.89B) "jackpot" from the domestic deals -- "certainly judging by the first two deals out of a proposed 80 agreements" for rights in 180 territories. The Premier League does not "automatically disclose" the values of its foreign rights but American reports claim the six-year extended deal with NBC for the "hugely competitive" U.S. market was worth $1B -- double the current contract. There was "another healthy increase from Supersport for three more years of rights in sub-Saharan Africa," where the existing deal is worth $300M. With two contracts signed, the Premier League is "more than a quarter of the way to overhauling the overseas bounty from the current deals" (DAILY MAIL, 8/26).
