This story was originally published in 2021 and has been updated.
NBC has come a long way since Ted Lasso started as a commercial for the Premier League back in 2013.
The show, which is now an Apple TV product with three seasons under its belt, has exploded in popularity over the last year thanks to its incredibly sincere and wholesome tone and enjoyable characters. Ted Lasso has captured the heart of many in the sports world and even celebrities have shown it a lot of love.
Though Ted Lasso is now a series on Apple TV, NBC has clearly gotten a big boost to its brand from first bringing the titular character to life in its commercials. So much so that NBC has reportedly cited Ted Lasso‘s success as a major reason for the company extending in 2021 their broadcasting rights package of the Premier League through 2027-2028.
On a call with NBC Sports execs discussing #PremierLeague rights renewal … a big reason they were attracted to retain the package… the popularity of #TedLasso #Sports #Business pic.twitter.com/nBBrB6mkTD
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) November 18, 2021
On the call, NBC Sports’ Jon Miller said:
“It started off as a marketing campaign for its first year with the Premier League in 2013, and we utilized Ted Lasso in our first season, and then we utilized it again the third season. We knew how it resonated with fans and resonated teams and even resonated internationally.
“Now we’re excited to see that Ted Lasso and the Premier League have come to an agreement where you’re going to start to see Premier League marks in the third season of Ted Lasso.”
Even NBC isn’t immune to Ted Lasso‘s charms!
