LONDON -(Dow Jones)- The English Premier League, which represents the nation's top 20 soccer clubs, said Friday that it has sold the U.K. free-to-air highlights rights to the British Broadcasting Corp. for GBP179.7 million, the current holders of the rights. The free-to-air highlights rights will run for three seasons from August 2013 to May 2016. The Premier League is expected to announce next month the winners of the most sought after package, the U.K. broadcasting rights to live games, which is currently held by British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC (BSY.LN) and Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS) entertainment and sports network, ESPN. BSkyB counts media giant News Corp. (NWS) as its biggest shareholder with a 39.1% stake. News Corp. also owns The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires. -By Lilly Vitorovich, Dow Jones Newswires; 44-20-7842-9290; lilly.vitorovich@dowjones.com; Twitter: @LillyVitorovich
