The media rights to Manchester United's tour of Asia this summer will be distributed by the IEC in Sports agency in all territories outside the UK and Ireland.

The tour will see Premier League champions United play four matches in ten days, taking on a Malaysian XI in Kuala Lumpur, an Indonesian XI in Jakarta, FC Seoul in Korea and Zhejiang Greentown FC in China.

The deal shows the increasing value of pre-season friendlies. For many years used simply to gain fitness ahead of the new season, they have now become invaluable branding opportunities. United have been one of the leaders of the development, to the point that the new deal with IEC is expected to be worth US$200,000 to the agency over the course of a ten-day tour.

"This year's pre-season tour of Asia promises to provide the squad with the ideal preparation ahead of another exciting campaign. It is also a great opportunity for our dedicated fans in Asia to see the team in action," said Manchester United chief executive David Gill.