EA Sports is set to sign a commercial deal with the Premier League that could be worth close to £500 million. According to Sky News, all 20 Premier League clubs have been made aware of the six-year deal, which is worth “around £488 million,” according to sources familiar with the matter.
According to the report, “A club executive said the deal would generate more than £80 million a year in revenue and includes EA remaining the league’s main partner and retaining its exclusive game licenses.”
Under the Premier League’s current deal with EA, EA sponsors several elements of the match-day experience, including the EA Sports logo that appears on the referee’s jersey.
The Premier League is integrated with FIFA’s largest mode, UltimateTeam, including Premier League player rewards that appear as special items in the mode.
The deal could be similar to the one the company signed with the Spanish soccer league La Liga last year.
EA’s deal with La Liga includes the rights to title all La Liga matches, “a complete rebranding of La Liga with EA SPORTS, including all logos, graphics, fonts and other visual elements,” and also provides “new in-game integration, broadcast highlights, and a shared commitment to support grassroots initiatives. The joint commitment to support grassroots initiatives”.
EA will rename its soccer game EASports FC later this year, ending a nearly 30-year relationship with the soccer organization.
EA insists its games will not change much despite the loss of the FIFA brand, and EA Sports FC said last year that “the same great experiences, modes, leagues, cups, clubs and athletes” would be included in EA Sports FC, thanks to more than 300 licensing agreements.
