This is significant for Perform, consolidating its partnership with one of the biggest sports leagues worldwide. The company has successfully carved out a niche in the emerging online sports video business as a third party solutions provider, powering around 100 client-branded online services - partners include several of the EPL clubs, the ATP Tour and the English Cricket Board - as well as its developing its own properties, such as e-Player, an ad-supported video player.

The EPL deal further expands Perform's ad sales business, with the company typically responsible for selling ads across the platforms it provides for its partners. It follows the announcement in June 2010 that Perform is now also handling ad sales for the e-Player in the UK. Currently available in 11 international markets, e-Player is effectively franchised, with ad sales outsourced locally but Perform is to take control of this domestically. This was previously looked after by ids, the sales house division of Virgin Media, under a broader partnership which leveraged the latter's UK online clip rights to EPL matches for three seasons to 2009/10 in a Virgin Media-branded version of e-Player. Screen Digest understands Perform is currently negotiating with new rights holder, Yahoo, which recently acquired rights for the next three years, to continue to offer this content via e-Player in the UK.