Hours before the start of the EPL and Football League seasons Saturday, English soccer's governing bodies "signed a new rights deal with media organisations,” according to Mark Sweney of the GUARDIAN. Reuters, Getty Images and several other national newspapers “completed days of tense negotiations to wrap up a multi-year media rights deals” with the EPL and Football League. The sides recognized that the old agreement, which dates back to '03, “was not fit for purpose in the digital age.” However, negotiations had “stalled over issues such as what level of live online engagement” would be allowed with users during matches. Under the new deal, which is “thought to run for four years,” journalists will be allowed to “update online stories and engage with readers using social media whenever they want.” There will only be a “short time delay on live minute-by-minute coverage of matches.” The deal also includes a “much-improved dispute resolution process.” If issues arise, the two sides now “have a mechanism to iron out problems.” The deal also ends the practice of “charging all media outlets for individual ‘end user licenses’ to publish content from news and picture agencies” (GUARDIAN, 8/15).
