ESPN, the US cable sports network, is planning an international expansion, saying it is “absolutely interested” in acquiring UK rights to the English Premier League when they are next auctioned in 2009.
A bid for the rights to English football’s top league could pit the Walt Disney-owned sports network against British Sky Broadcasting, which last year agreed a three-year deal worth £1.3bn ($2.6bn) for the largest package of live games available.
