IMG, a global leader in sports, events, fashion and media, has been awarded the live broadcast and digital clips rights by the Premier League for Territory 14 – Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia – for the 2016-18 period.

The new deal takes in no fewer than 27 markets – Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Richard Scudamore, Premier League Executive Chairman, said: “IMG is a current Premier League rights holder and we are very pleased they have again chosen to invest in our competition. We look forward to working with them to distribute all the best Premier League content to our many fans across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.”

Victor Blundell, SVP, IMG Media, said: “The Premier League is the most exciting league in the world and we are pleased to be offering live coverage to broadcasters in these regions, where it already has a massive following. Interest is enhanced by a number of top players from several of these countries plying their trade in the English top flight.”

Michael Mellor, SVP Head of Football, IMG Media, said: “We are delighted to be continuing our relationship with the Premier League which goes back over 20 years and has always been an important part of our portfolio of football rights. The Premier League continues to be the most sought after property in live league football.”