Facebook Gets EPL Rights In Southeast Asia Starting In '19

The EPL has agreed to its "first broadcast deal with Facebook," with the social media company "winning exclusive rights to show live matches in large parts for Asia" starting in '19. Facebook is "understood to have beaten BeIn Sports and Fox Sports Asia in the auction to gain live broadcast rights in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos" from '19-22 in a deal worth about US$264M. Facebook "will live stream all 380" EPL matches per season, marking its "biggest and most high-profile sports offering to date." This follows Amazon’s "breakthrough deal in the U.K. last month in which it gained the right to show 20 live matches per season." It is the "latest indication" of the EPL's "determination to appeal to streaming services as well as traditional broadcasters" (THETIMES.co.uk, 7/5).