Premier League and NBA discuss marketing tie-up

The Premier League and the National Basketball Association are in talks about possible marketing tie-ups as the two seek further international expansion.

Senior representatives from the football and basketball leagues have met in London to discuss how they might work together on commercial ventures, according to a report in The Financial Times.

The two also reportedly discussed international media rights strategies with a focus on the Asian market where football is hugely popular.

David Stern, NBA commissioner, told the newspaper the association can learn from the Premier League’s ability to negotiate media deals and split packages, adding the English league is “a bit ahead” in terms of attracting foreign investment.

The Premier League recently announced a £1.8bn three-year broadcast agreement with BSkyB and Setanta. Its current international broadcast rights deal is worth about £650m with a new deal set to be announced shortly.

In contrast, the NBA has $7.8bn ($4.9bn) eight-year deal split between ESPN, ABC and the TNT channel.

The Premier League has also attracted an array of foreign investment from the likes of Russia, USA and famously Abu Dhabi, whose Abu Dhabi Group bought Manchester City last year.

A recent report from the Deloitte said broadcast deals help Premier League clubs remain the biggest earners in world football, with the top 20 clubs generating around £1.4 billion in turnover.