Inter’s owners Suning have retaliated against the Premier League as their bitter dispute over the collapse of a $700m TV rights contract continues, a British media report has stated today.
As per Financial Times, the Premier League recently sued PPLive Sports International, a company owned by Suning which showed Premier League matches in Asia until recently, for $215 million for failing to make payments for the rights to screen live matches and highlights.
However, PPLive Sports International are now said to be countersuing the Premier League, claiming at least $116.8 million in damages.
When Premier League football was brought to a halt in March last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PPLive Sports withheld payments for the next three months before recommencing payments in June.
Clubs had to pay £330 million in rebates to Premier League broadcasters, but PPLive Sports failed to come to an agreement with the Premier League and their discussions have now ended up with a dispute in court.
A PPLive Sports spokesperson has explained to Financial Times that they believe the Premier League are guilty of double standards because they are treating UK broadcasters differently to them.
Moreover, the company has claimed to have received less than a third’s worth of their contract, despite paying half the money.
PPLive Sports have also claimed that they will seek to reclaim the $210 million installment that was due to be paid in March should the Premier League succeed with their own claim.
In September, the Premier League agreed a deal with Chinese company Tencent to replace PPSports Live with all 20 Premier League clubs approving.
The report goes on to conclude that the loss of the PPLive Sports deal was a blow to Premier League clubs and the dispute is also a challenge for Suning, who are in talks to sell part or all of their shareholding in Inter.
