Premier League Votes to Remove Coverage From Russian TV

The league canceled the rights deal with Russian broadcast partner Rambler that was set to expire at the end of the season.

The Premier League has announced that it will remove its coverage from Russian television following the country's invasion of Ukraine. 

On Tuesday, Premier League clubs voted to cancel the rights deal with Russian broadcast partner Rambler, owned by the state-run Sberbank, which was set to expire at the end of the season. 

Per The Associated Press, a decision has yet to be made on the future rights deal with Gazprom-owned Match, which has secured Premier League broadcasting rights starting next season. 

“The Premier League and its clubs today unanimously agreed to suspend our agreement with Russian broadcast partner Rambler (Okko Sport) with immediate effect and to donate £1 million to support the people of Ukraine," the Premier League released in a statement.

“The League strongly condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We call for peace and our thoughts are with all those impacted. The £1 million donation will be made to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to deliver humanitarian aid directly to those in need. This action follows a weekend of matches displaying League-wide support for Ukraine.”

Over the weekend, the Premier League's Chinese rights holders opted not to broadcast matches due to the league's show of solidarity for Ukraine. Each game featured a moment of silence before kickoff, captain's armbands adorned in Ukrainian colors and messages of support on advertising boards and screens in stadiums.