THE Premier League is set to kick off this Friday with no clear indication as yet how fans in the Caribbean will be able to legally watch matches.

The indication came after Verticast Media Group, the operators of CSport, the entity which purchased the rights to show Premier League matches for the 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 season, telling subscribers on Tuesday that it no longer hold the rights, one year ahead of the normal three-year period in which these rights are normally purchased.

“As our term as rights holders ends, we are proud to have made matches accessible regionally, and for the first time, to the widest audiences possible via CSport app, cable channels, and free-to-air television,” it said in an e-mail to subscribers announcing that it will not be showing matches in the upcoming season.

It did not disclose the reasons surrounding the ending of its broadcast rights one year earlier than anticipated.

Jamaica Observer reached out to the Premier League about the issue and to ascertain which entity would be broadcasting matches in the region starting Friday, but was not given an answer. The Business Observer, however, understands that an update on the matter will be given prior to this weekend.

We also reached out to industry players, most of whom were tight-lipped on which entity will be broadcasting matches. It was, however, noted that an entity is in active discussions with the Premier League, but the deal is not signed as yet. However, previous rights holders, Cable and Wireless and Digicel, are understood to have been blocked from accessing the broadcast rights.

Questions about the broadcast of the Premier League first emerged earlier this year after the previous broadcast rights holders, CSport, failed to show matches, leading to widespread speculation about the reasons.

“We recognise the challenges with Premier League distribution from January to April 2024 and are committed to issuing full refunds to those affected customers,” Verticast Media said in the release, indicating it no longer holds the rights, though it did not give a timeline for the refunds.

It thanked its customers for their support, telling them, “We’re excited about the future and look forward to bringing you even more exciting sports content, live on
CSport.”

The company had been having issues getting regional cable providers, Flow and Digicel, to carry its channels and took the entities to court in April over the matter.

At the time, it said its action reflects its “unwavering commitment to ensuring that consumers are not harmed by anti-competitive behaviour where new entrants are hindered and consumer choices are restricted, as has been the case regarding VertiCast’s channels and content offering”.

In the Supreme Court filings, Verticast alleges that the defendants employed anti-competitive practices to exclude Verticast channels CSport and CSport2 from their pay television cable networks, while it had broadcast deals with more than 20 cable operators regionally at market rates. It said it offered the same rates to Flow and Digicel, but said they still refused to show its channels.

This refusal, Verticast contends, obstructs consumer access to content and distribution, undermining fair competition.

“VertiCast invested in content and distribution to create channels with content that is in high demand by consumers, such as the English Premier League. We have gone above and beyond to work with the defendants to provide their consumers with access. These attempts at negotiations have not been successful and thus we had no option but to stand up for both consumers’ rights and the rights of media companies in the industry,” the company said in a statement.

Earlier this year, the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ) launched an investigation following public complaints from CSport subscribers over not being able to view Premier League matches on the platform due to service disruptions.