Broadcaster must pay more than £150m owed to Premier League
Premier League bosses entered into contracts under which PPLive Sports International obtained rights to show games in China.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A High Court judge says a foreign broadcaster must pay nearly £157 million it owes to the Premier League
Mr Justice Fraser, who is based in London ruled on a dispute between Premier League bosses and PPLive Sports International, which is based in the Hong Kong Special Administration Region of China on Tuesday, following a hearing in November.
The judge said a dispute arose after Premier League bosses entered into contracts under which PPL obtained rights to show both live and delayed Premier League football matches, plus highlights, in China.
He said the deal was due to run for three seasons starting in 2019-2020.
Premier League bosses, who terminated agreements in September 2020, said they were owed two instalment payments totalling nearly £157 million (nearly 213 million US dollars).
The judge ruled in their favour.
In September 2020, the Premier League issued a statement saying bosses had terminated agreements for Premier League coverage in China with its “licensee in that territory”.
Mr Justice Fraser ruled that the Premier League was entitled to a “summary judgment” – without a trial.
He said summary judgments are granted when a judge concludes a defendant has “no real prospect” of defending a claim.
The judge concluded that “none of the defences advanced” by PPLive had anything other than ”fanciful prospects of success”.
He said Premier League bosses had made arrangements with other companies for the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons after the termination of the PPLive agreements.
A Premier League spokesman said after the ruling: “The Premier League welcomes the judgment handed down by the High Court today relating to non-payment of fees by PPLive, its former broadcast partner in China.
“The Premier League will robustly enforce its contractual rights when it has no other option available.
“The League notes the judge’s view that PPLive had ‘no real prospect of success’ defending the claim.
“The bar is high for a summary judgment application and this decision highlights the strength of the League’s case.
“The League will now begin the process of recovering the fees and costs owed by PPLive.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments