CHAPTER FORTY

THE PREMIER LEAGUE ON NBC

The Premier League is arguably the best professional soccer league in the world. With an infusion of capital over the last few decades, teams like Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and others have become household names around the globe. In the United States, before the 2000s, soccer fans following England’s top flight had to get their fix either during summer exhibition tours or through appointment viewing on limited network availability. That began to change through the league’s partnership with Fox, but then fandom in the US exploded after NBC won exclusive league broadcast rights beginning in 2013.

Jon Miller was the NBC Sports executive responsible for making that deal happen. He joined Founding Futbol to breakdown what drew the network to the Premier League initially, how the deal got done, the birth of Ted Lasso and the importance of the studio team. In a far reaching conversation, Miller shares how streaming had an impact on the expansion of NBC’s coverage and reflects on the importance of Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle and Robbie Mustoe.