Heavyweight sports marketing agency IMG will continue to distribute the worldwide media rights to soccer’s Saudi Pro League (SPL) after renewing its agreement with the growing league for another four years.
The new deal builds on the pair’s original agreement, covering the 2023-24 and 2024-25 SPL seasons, and will see IMG continue to market and sell the league’s rights globally through the 2028-29 campaign.
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IMG said that since taking over the league’s rights distribution, international coverage of the SPL has grown significantly, culminating in last season’s matches being aired in more than 184 countries on over 43 global platforms across six continents.
During the 2023-24 season, meanwhile, SPL games were covered in 160 countries on more than 40 platforms.
Recent deals secured by IMG include ESPN (Africa), DAZN (DACH and France), Movistar (Spain), Fox Sports (USA, Mexico, LATAM, the Caribbean, and Central America), Globo (Brazil), Sportitalia (Italy), ComoTV (Italy), and French content creator Zack Nani (France).
Last week, SporTV, the Brazilian pay-television operator owned by commercial broadcasting giant Globo, acquired the broadcast rights to the SPL ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, which starts today (August 28).
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By GlobalDataRoland Nikolaou, IMG’s vice president of football, MENA, said: “The Saudi Pro League has grown rapidly in recent years and continues to push the boundaries for football in the region.
“Through our work together across media rights distribution, as well as production and storytelling, the league has significantly enhanced its reach and global appeal.”
The renewal deepens IMG’s relationship with the SPL, with the agency securing a five-year production deal covering the Saudi top tier, the King’s Cup, and the Saudi Super Cup knockout competitions.
That deal, signed last year, sees the SPL and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation act as the host broadcaster for the King’s Cup and Saudi Super Cup through 2028-29. IMG, meanwhile, will assist those organizations in implementing remote production technologies, meaning producers can oversee matches across different cities on the same day.
The agreement also adds to IMG’s portfolio of major soccer clients that it sells international rights for, including the Arabian Gulf Cup (AGCFF), South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), the Eredivisie, and Football Australia.
The agency serves as the TV production partner for England's EFL, the organizer of the country’s second, third, and fourth-tier competitions, in a deal running through 2028-29.
It also produces content for some of the world’s biggest leagues, including the Premier League, Major League Soccer, and CBS’s UEFA Champions League and Europa League coverage.
