There is one distinct voice when it comes to the English Premier League in the US – and that voice is NBC Universal. The company on Thursday cemented its relationship with the popular soccer league by granting US media rights through 2028. The deal is worth about $2.7 billion, more than double the previous deal.

“When we took over the Premier League for the 2013-14 season, they were split between three partners,” NBC Sports Group CEO John Miller said on Thursday. “While these entities did a good job, none of them were a priority, and we showed the Premier League that we were going to make the Premier League a priority. We came to them with a plan and a mission to do that, and they saw the resulting increase in valuations, an increase in the value of perks, an increase in group sponsorship, you name it. Then, they obviously saw the increase in revenue in their second deal, and they saw it here. It’s no secret that there were others who wanted to partner with us, and while we were flattered, we made the decision early on, for us, it was an all-or-nothing proposition. There are a few So many sports – in fact, none of the major American sports – with one entity. Everything in common, whether it’s the NFL, the NBA, Major League Baseball or the National Hockey League. The Premier League is unique in the way The way their equipment is set up and the way their business model is implemented is such that we felt it was important and crucial for them to be with one partner and one voice.”

It’s clearly important news for Premier League fans, and authors Felipe Cardenas and Richard Deitch have provided some initial thoughts below on what the deal means for you as a viewer.