Report: Barclays Will Not Renew EPL Title Sponsorship After Current Deal Expires

Barclays "will not renew" its title sponsorship of the EPL when the current deal "expires at the end of the 2015-16 season," according to Joe Strange of the London DAILY MAIL. The bank signed a three-year extension of its deal in '12 for a total of US$178.1M, an "increase of almost 50 per cent" from the previous agreement. However, with Sky and BT Sport paying a record US$7.6B for TV rights "from the start of the 2016 season, Barclays fear the cost of the next sponsorship will also rise considerably." Barclays has sponsored the league since '01 (DAILYMAIL.co.uk, 3/26). Reports of Barclays' possible departure first surfaced just over a year ago. The bank last May called rumors that it would end its relationship with the EPL premature, but in June '14 said it was uncertain about bidding for the title sponsorship. Barclays does not have an exclusive window to renew, and speculation in December was that the bank would be outbid by another entity (THE DAILY).