- The partnership is worth over UK £80m per year – more than double the current contract
- EA continues to push marketing forward with the release of EA Sports FC
The Premier League is close to agreeing a six-year deal with video game giant Electronic Arts (EA) worth around UK £500 million (US$603 million), according to Sky News.
The 20 clubs in English soccer’s top flight have been announced about the partnership, which is set to earn the league more than UK £ 80 million (US $ 96.4 million) per year and will see EA continue as a leader partner and retain the exclusive electronic game license.
The extension is said to be worth more than double the current deal. The Premier League and EA have had a commercial relationship since 1998, with the company becoming the first official sports technology partner of the top flight in 2010. EA then became the lead partner of the Premier League in 2016.
California-headquartered EA deepened its relationship with the Premier League last August when it signed a deal with Sky Sports to sponsor top-flight coverage on the UK pay-TV network. The tie-up also includes campaigns on the broadcaster’s digital channels.
SportsPro says…
The reported value of EA’s extension reaffirms the Premier League as the commercially dominant domestic soccer competition. On top of that, it heralds EA’s latest marketing push as it prepares to launch its first major soccer title later this year since calling time on its 30-year partnership with FIFA.
Starting in 2023, EA’s soccer games will be released under the ‘EA Sports FC’ banner and will include more than 300 licenses, giving players access to 19,000 players, 700 teams, 100 stadium and 30 leagues. EA has worked hard to ensure that the loss of the FIFA license has minimal impact on the soccer title, effectively maintaining the FIFA franchise in all but name. The lack of a real competitor in the space also reduces the threat of a rival publisher landing a FIFA license.
However, EA has redoubled its efforts to partner with the biggest soccer leagues, including Spain’s LaLiga, Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A. releases, with the current FIFA 23 game on track to be the biggest title in the history of the franchise.
PA Media contributed to this report.