Rupert Murdoch’s News International has secured exclusive rights to stream highlights of Premier League football matches via the internet and mobile devices as part of a ruse to lure more paying digital subscribers to its services.
The content deal will allow subscribers access to near-live clips of all matches embedded in existing newspaper apps and represents the clearest indication yet of the media groups strategy for keeping its UK newspapers in the black.
Executives are alarmed by declining ad revenues at the Sunday Times and heavy losses at The Times, only The Sun remains consistently profitable.
The firm has enjoyed some success with its strategy and has currently signed up close to 300,000 digital subscribers for all three newspapers.
Masterminded by Mike Darcey, NI’s newly appointed chief executive, the three year rights deal will commence in August once existing contracts with Yahoo and ESPN (who hold the internet and mobile rights respectively) lapse.