da aviator aposta： A leading executive at NBC Sports has admitted that they are set to 'continue pushing' for top-flight Premier League matches to be played in the U.S.
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NBC exec pushing for EPL matches in U.S.New plans for multi-billion dollar partnershipDoor is 'ajar' for opportunity, per league CEOWHAT HAPPENED?
In an interview with The Athletic, NBC executive and figurehead in negotiations for the multi-billion dollar media rights deal with the Premier League, Jon Miller, spoke on potentially staging English top-flight matches in the United States. Previously, teams have undertaken preseason tours stateside, but there has always been an ambition to see competitive matches played in the country too.
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Asked if he would be supportive of Premier League games being played in the U.S., Miller replied: “Very much so. And this is a point that we’ve had conversations with the Premier League and they’ve been very open and receptive to listening to me. We did the Premier League Summer Series (in pre-season) last year where we had six teams come over; Fulham, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford. We had nine games in seven days in five cities around America (and 265,000 fans were in attendance). It was great. NBC view the Premier League Summer Series as a big success.
“All the teams that came over did really well, had a great experience, and really were able to interact with the fan base. And the Premier League saw that it was very successful. At some point in the future, I would love to see a couple of Premier League games open the season here in big stadiums on our opening weekend. And I know that’s something that we’ll continue to push for because I think that there’s an American audience here that would like to see regular season games but in the meantime, we’ll continue to work with the Premier League to do everything we can to make the games available to as many people as possible.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
In a recent interview, Premier League CEO Richard Masters admitted that matches in the USA are not currently in their plans, but that the door is 'ajar' for the opportunity.
Miller, meanwhile, added that he has ambitions of taking NBC's Premier League coverage to new heights: "There are two things that really bring the viewer and the fan closer to the action: access and audio. So whenever you can increase your access and build your stars up, that’s great. And people love to hear what Jurgen Klopp is saying to his team or what he’s saying on the sidelines. I realize there’s got to be some protection against that.
"But I think that those are the kind of things that we’re continuing to push the envelope on. And the Premier League is responsive. They’re really good when we come to them with ideas. Far be it for me to try to tell the Premier League what makes a good product. Their product is spectacular. But much like we do with the NFL, and golf, we constantly have conversations with our partners and brainstorm on things that we can do to make the games better and more appealing to try to grow our audience."
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE?
Just four matchdays remain, and a Premier League champion is set to be crowned at the end of the campaign. Arsenal and Manchester City are currently locked in a fierce battle for the trophy, with Liverpool's recent struggles meaning they are unlikely to finish top of the standings come May.