EA Sports becomes official technology partner to Premier League via FIFA

EA Sports has announced it has become the official technology partner to the FA Premier League via FIFA.

As well as an extention to its licence deal between the PL and branding across all broadcasted Premier League matches in the UK and the across the world, EA will "work with broadcasters to develop enhancements for match day broadcast analysis and increased fan interaction."

The firm also sponsor the Premier League's performance index and its Team of the Week.

""As the most watched domestic football competition in the world, the Barclays Premier League delivers tremendous global exposure and direct access to one of the most passionate football audiences in the world," said VP of football at EA Sports, Matt Bilbey.

""We are extremely pleased that EA SPORTS has had the foresight to enter into this exciting new partnership that will connect with Barclays Premier League fans in new and inventive ways," further added Richard Masters, director of marketing and sales at the Premier League.

Full press release is below.

FIFA 11 releases on September 28 in the US, with an October 1 launch in Europe.

PR below.

EA SPORTS Named Official Sports Technology Partner of the Premier League

Exclusive Partnership to Deliver Enhanced Experiences for EA SPORTS Football Gamers and Fans of the Barclays Premier League

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. & LONDON, Jul 22, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and the Premier League today announced that EA SPORTS(TM) has become the Official Sports Technology Partner of the Premier League. Under the partnership, EA SPORTS will expand its current relationship with fans of the Barclays Premier League with exclusive enhanced experiences and even greater authenticity inside of EA SPORTS Football products. EA SPORTS branding will be featured on all live on-screen broadcasts of Barclays Premier League fixtures, and EA SPORTS will work with broadcasters to develop enhancements for match day broadcast analysis and increased fan interaction. EA SPORTS will also sponsor the Player Performance Index and will explore new ways to utilize more in depth Barclays Premier League statistics than ever before in future iterations of EA SPORTS Football products.

"As the most watched domestic football competition in the world, the Barclays Premier League delivers tremendous global exposure and direct access to one of the most passionate football audiences in the world," said Matt Bilbey, Vice President of Football, EA SPORTS. "Partnering with the Premier League further establishes EA SPORTS and its FIFA franchise as the ultimate, authentic football gaming experience. We look forward to adding further in-game authenticity with the direct access to the Player Performance Index as well as releasing new ways to leverage our technology to enhance the fans enjoyment of Barclays Premier League football on and beyond match day each week."

In the exclusive role as Official Sports Technology Partner of the Premier League, EA SPORTS will explore new ways to leverage actual match and performance data to deliver improved interactive football experiences that match the complexity, finesse and excitement of a real world football match. Examples include:

* The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index: EA SPORTS will sponsor the Premier League Player Performance Index that will soon expand to include new performance data that will now account for time and distance measurements. This will allow for detailed statistics such as the speed at which a shot is hit, the force of a ball as a keeper makes a key save, the height of a jump, the speed at which a penalty is struck and more. This technology will be introduced at all Premier League club stadia this season. EA SPORTS will have direct access to the Player Performance Index to further extend the authenticity and depth of its football franchises including EA SPORTS FIFA in future versions.
* EA SPORTS Team of the Week: Available at www.premierleague.com, the Premier League and EA SPORTS will publish the EA SPORTS Team of the Week. The team will be based on ratings from the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index after each round of the Barclays Premier League and will be integrated into EA SPORTS Football games.
* Barclays Premier League Broadcast Branding: EA SPORTS branding will appear on-screen, linked with live match statistics, during all Barclays Premier League broadcasts in the UK and overseas.
* Barclays Premier League Match Broadcast Enhancements: Using EA SPORTS graphics, animations and interactive technology combined with real-time, real world data feeds, EA will work with broadcasters toward enhancements for match day broadcast analysis that will bring football fans closer and deeper into the action direct from their sofa.

Premier League Director of Sales & Marketing, Richard Masters, said: "We are extremely pleased that EA SPORTS has had the foresight to enter into this exciting new partnership that will connect with Barclays Premier League fans in new and inventive ways. Fans have a thirst for statistics and information and that is something that the Premier League, working with EA SPORTS, will provide to a level not seen before in professional football."

In addition to the Sports Technology Partnership agreement, the Premier League and EA have also agreed upon an extension to the Electronic Game License.

Building on FIFA 10 gameplay that won 50 sports game of the year awards, EA SPORTS FIFA 11 continues to listen to its growing legion of FIFA fans around the world to refine gameplay in ways that matter most to fans. Visit http://www.facebook.com/easportsfifa to join the FIFA group to express feedback directly to game developers and receive exclusive content. New game modes and innovations will be revealed in the coming months along with features on other platforms. Visit WWW.FIFA.EASPORTS.COM for more information. Screenshots are available at http://info.ea.com.

EA SPORTS FIFA 11 will be available in stores world-wide this Fall for the PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360(R) videogame and entertainment system, , Wii(TM), PC, PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS(TM), PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system and mobile. It is developed under the EA SPORTS brand by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. The game has not yet been rated.

EA SPORTS(TM) is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, EA SPORTS FIFA, NHL(R) hockey, NBA ELITE basketball, NCAA(R) Football, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(R) golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.