Tottenham superstar Heung-min Son has indirectly played a key role in a first-of-its-kind new commercial deal that is set to benefit the whole of the Premier League.
Broadcast rights for the top-flight are now worth more than £11billion and, for the first time in the league’s history, the value of the league’s overseas TV deals is outstripping its domestic equivalents.
Now, the latest overseas deal combines the rights for the Premier League and the FA Cup, marking the first time in history that the two competitions’ rights have been sold together.
As reported by Sport Business, e-commerce brand Coupang has acquired the right to stream both competitions when their next rights cycles begin in South Korea, from 2025 and 2026 respectively.
While no official value for the deal has been given, the previous arrangement is believed to have been worth around £8m – and that figure is almost certain to have risen this time around.
The deal could not have happened without Spurs superstar Son.
Son’s role in TV rights double deal
Tottenham’s South Korea Supporters’ Club has around 28,000 official members, with the club’s popularity in the nation exploding after they signed Son from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015.
Son, who now wears the armband for Spurs and is 5th on their list of all-time top scorers, has been instrumental in their commercial success in south-east Asia.
Spurs toured South Korea for their pre-season campaign in 2022 and have struck dozens of commercial deals with companies in the region, with Son invariably used in the accompanying promotional materials.
They have further capitalised on the relentless interest in the 31-year-old by launching Korean-language social media handles and tourism initiatives.
Tottenham’s wider commercial picture
The decision to build a world-beating new stadium was a masterstroke from Daniel Levy and the rest of the Spurs hierarchy, but there are many more layers to their commercial success.
Despite a disappointing 8th-place finish in the Premier League last term, sponsorship and merchandising revenue rose by 24% to a club-record £183m.
They did, however, suffer a setback in the department when well-regarded commercial director Todd Kline quit to join Chelsea earlier this year.