Former England striker Michael Owen kicks the shuttlecock during a press conference on Friday in Shanghai. Photo: Courtesy of PPTV

Suning.com will continue to invest big in sports, said deputy CEO Su Weiming during a press conference to kick-start the copyright cooperation between the Chinese retail giant and the English Premier League on Friday in Shanghai. 

In 2016, digital broadcaster PPTV, a division of Suning, obtained the exclusive broadcasting rights for the Premier League on the Chinese mainland and in Macao in a three-year deal reportedly worth $7.21 billion starting from 2019-20. This is the richest TV deal the Premier League has had outside the UK.

Suning bought a majority stake in Italian football giants Inter Milan and is also the owner of Chinese Super League (CSL) side Jiangsu Suning.

It also has the broadcasting rights for sports events including the CSL, the Asian Champions League, the Spanish La Liga, the Italian Serie A, the German Bundesliga and the European Champions League.

The new Premier League season kicks off on August 9, with last season's runners-up Liverpool hosting newly promoted Norwich City at Anfield on the opening day.