Why the English Premier League is at the Center of a Major Legal Battle
And what it means for the future of Caribbean sports media
Whatsup Squad,
Media rights for live sports are more valuable than ever, with their global value expected to cross $60 billion this year.
And while the United States is the most valuable media market, competition for these deals is heating up around the world too.
⚽️ The Premier League
The English Premier League is the world’s most popular league in the world’s most popular sport.
And the league’s popularity in the Caribbean is no surprise, as soccer has a long and rich history in the region.
On top of that, the increasing presence of Caribbean players in the league has only made its popularity grow.
Notable Premier League players from the Caribbean include Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey, West Ham United’s Michail Antonio, Brentford’s Ethan Pinnock, and Leicester City’s Bobby DeCordova-Reid.
As a result, media rights for the EPL are the crown jewel of the region’s sports media landscape.
Verticast Disrupts the Market
When the EPL’s Caribbean media rights went on the market in 2022, most people were surprised when upstart Verticast Media Group won the deal over industry titans Digicel and Flow.
Founded in 2022, the vision behind Verticast was to create a vertically integrated Caribbean media powerhouse, with sports headlining the content.
Verticast CEO Oliver McIntosh spent two decades working at the now rival network he founded in 2002, SportsMax (a subsidiary of Digicel).
These two telecom giants have long dominated the Caribbean’s media landscape, building substantial subscriber bases across the region.
Still, the rising cost of EPL rights (and sports media rights more broadly) opened the door for Verticast, who also secured the region’s rights to the NFL.
Once the newly formed company acquired the EPL rights, it aimed to make matches more widely accessible than ever before.
Their three-year agreement with the Premier League allowed the company to provide full regional coverage to all matches and highlights.
That said, the company’s execution of that plan left many fans disgruntled.
The Giants Push Back
Verticast immediately ran into a major challenge.
Both Digicel and Flow opted not to carry Verticast’s channels in their cable packages, leaving many people in the region with a traditional cable subscription unable to view EPL matches.
Despite the absence of the two major cable providers, Verticast pushed on, signing deals with less popular cable providers.
On the bright side, the company successfully broadcasted 377 out of the 380 matches.
On the other hand, the three missed matches included a title-deciding clash between Arsenal and Manchester City.
And as the region’s rights holder, fans blamed Verticast.
Verticast Taps Out
Just 3 days before the beginning of the 2024-2025 EPL season, Verticast announced that it would not see through the final year of its three-year contract.
With the Caribbean rights up for grabs, ESPN signed a deal to show the remaining matches of the season.
Through the deal, matches will also be made available to subscribers of the Flow TV streaming platform.
Flow will fill the gap left by Verticast’s short-lived tenure and serve as the primary platform (once again) for Caribbean fans.
Let’s Take it to Court
The clash over the EPL’s media rights has now taken the form of a legal battle.
Verticast claims that both Digicel and Flow have engaged in anti-competitive practices by blocking Verticast’s sports channels on their networks.
Verticast had 23 cable partners across the Caribbean, but Flow and Digicel’s absence is notable because they account for a significant chunk of the cable subscriptions available in the region.
Digicel applied to have the lawsuit paused, but, just earlier this week, a judge ruled that the case can proceed.
The matter is set to move forward in court in February 2025.
As the dispute unfolds, the EPL and Caribbean fans stand at the center of a critical moment in sports media.
Final Thoughts
The growing rivalry between Caribbean media companies will reshape how fans watch sports going forward, and it underscores the increasing value of sports media rights.
Live sports drive unparalleled engagement and subscriber growth, which makes it an attractive opportunity for emerging companies.
At the same time, it threatens traditional media companies, who will go as far as to restrict access to highly sought-after content in order to protect their market share.
Caribbean interest in the EPL is not up for debate, and the league’s accessibility should not be either.
Until next time ✌🏾
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