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Facebook to stream Premier League matches in Asia in $265M deal

Amazon shot first.

Joan E. Solsman Former Senior Reporter
Joan E. Solsman was CNET's senior media reporter, covering the intersection of entertainment and technology. She's reported from locations spanning from Disneyland to Serbian refugee camps, and she previously wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. She bikes to get almost everywhere and has been doored only once.
Expertise Streaming video, film, television and music; virtual, augmented and mixed reality; deep fakes and synthetic media; content moderation and misinformation online Credentials
  • Three Folio Eddie award wins: 2018 science & technology writing (Cartoon bunnies are hacking your brain), 2021 analysis (Deepfakes' election threat isn't what you'd think) and 2022 culture article (Apple's CODA Takes You Into an Inner World of Sign)
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Joan E. Solsman
Samuel Eto'o of Chelsea scores his team's third goal

Premier League matches have become popular as a way for tech companies to plant a flag in the field of sports streaming. 

 Getty Images

Premier League soccer matches are becoming the next tech darling. 

Facebook secured a deal to become the only place to stream Premier League matches in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos starting next year until 2022, in a deal worth about £200 million (or about $265 million), according to a report by the Times of London. 

Last month, rival Amazon snapped up exclusive rights to Premier League matches in the UK, another deal signaling technology companies interest in establishing themselves as go-to places to watch sports around the world. Companies like Facebook, Amazon and Twitter have all turned to live sport as a way to claim the title of streaming heavyweight. But live-sports rights are consistently among the priciest -- and deep-pocketed tech companies bidding for them means the costs to broadcast live games could climb higher still. 

The Times report, which didn't cite any sources, also said that the Premier League held discussions with YouTube and even Netflix . Netflix has consistently batted away questions about its interest in streaming live sports, saying prices are way overvalued. 

Facebook and Netflix both declined to comment. YouTube didn't respond to a message seeking comment. 

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