Fathom Events and NBC Sports Group Team up to Bring Barclays Premier League 2014-15 Soccer Season to Select U.S. Cinemas
American Fans to Get Front Row Experience of Soccer’s Greatest Players and Famed League Live in Theaters Starting Aug. 16
Centennial, CO – July 23, 2014 – Soccer has taken root in the U.S. as never before and now new and longtime soccer fans alike will get a chance to witness the world’s best soccer on the big screen as Fathom Events and NBC Sports Group team up to present “Barclays Premier League LIVE,” beginning Saturday, Aug. 16. Americans will have the opportunity to see England’s best – league champions Manchester City, FA Cup-holders Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, along with the rest of England’s top-flight – in state-of-the-art projection and sound at select venues across the country on Saturdays throughout the Premier League season.
Tickets for “Barclays Premier League LIVE” are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. The live events will be presented in select markets through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
The “Barclays Premier League LIVE” in-theater series kicks off at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, August 16. In order to ensure that the best, most impactful match-ups are featured in the Fathom Events theaters, each week’s game will be announced the Tuesday before. Fans are encouraged to check FathomEvents.com each week to see which game is being featured. Adding to the experience for theater attendees will be specially produced half-time breaks showcasing the BPL’s greatest players, interviews, analysis and “theater-only” insights live from England.
Even before the excitement of this year’s FIFA World Cup, fan passion for soccer has been on the upswing, starting when NBC Sports Group began airing Barclays Premier League matches in the 2013-14 season. A record 32 million Americans tuned in to NBC Sports Group’s 2013-14 Premier League coverage – more than doubling the 13.3 million who watched the previous season on ESPN, ESPN2 and Fox Soccer, according to The Nielsen Co.
Fans of sports played at the highest and most entertaining levels will find much to cheer about during “Barclays Premier League LIVE” showings. That’s because England’s Premier League is stocked with many of the world’s best athletes. The Barclays Premier League has been home to many international soccer super-stars including David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. Current key players include:
- Sergio Aguero, from Argentina, who also plays for Manchester City;
- Eden Hazard, fresh from playing with Belgium in the FIFA World Cup, scores and creates goals for Chelsea;
- Steven Gerrard of Liverpool, hailed by many as one of the greatest English midfielders in history;
- Tim Howard, heroic and record-breaking goalkeeper for the US Men’s National Team, who tends goal for Everton;
- Mesut Ozil, a standout on Germany’s national team who was Arsenal’s club-record signing last season;
- Robin van Persie, the exciting striker from the Netherlands who also plays for Manchester United;
- Wayne Rooney, Manchester United and England hero;
- Daniel Sturridge, born in Birmingham in England’s midlands, who is a striker for Liverpool;
- Yaya Toure, of Ivory Coast, is a powerful midfielder for Manchester City;
- John Terry, a former England international and the current captain of Chelsea;
- And many more.
“It’s clear from the recent nationwide outpouring of support for team USA in the World Cup that more and more Americans are embracing and following this remarkable sport,” said Fathom Events CEO John Rubey. “In this ‘first-ever’ cinema sports series partnership with NBC Sports Group, fans in theaters can expect to get the full Barclays Premier League experience as though they were at one of the famed stadiums in the United Kingdom.”
Fathom Events has long been successful with bringing top sporting programming to the country’s cinemas. These range from professional boxing and mixed-martial arts matches, to a special look at the Olympic Games on to the high-flying world of competitive cheerleading and more.
About AC JV, LLC – Fathom Events is owned by a newly formed entity called AC JV, LLC. Fathom is the recognized leader in the alternative entertainment industry, offering a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events in movie theaters nationwide that include live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera, the performing arts, major sporting events, music concerts, comedy series, Broadway shows, original programming featuring entertainment’s biggest stars, socially relevant documentaries with audience Q&A and much more. Additionally, Fathom events take audiences behind-the-scenes and offer unique extras – creating the ultimate entertainment experience for fans of all ages. Co-owned by the three largest movie theater circuits in the United States, AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), Fathom’s live digital broadcast network (“DBN”) is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live events to more than 750 locations in 171 Designated Market Areas® (including all of the top 50). For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com.
About NBC Sports Group – NBCUniversal, via the NBC Sports Group, acquired the exclusive U.S. media rights to the Barclays Premier League through a multi-year agreement that began with the 2013-14 season. Per the agreement, NBCUniversal became the exclusive English- and Spanish-language media rights holder to all 380 Premier League matches across all platforms and devices in the United States. For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com (http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com)