The Premier League, previously available in China only on pay-per-view television, now has access to a huge audience after Guangdong TV agreed a deal to show matches on its free-to-air channel.

The company has paid US$2.6 million to secure the rights to show one live match and a highlights package per week. Many more live games will continue to be shown by Pay-TV broadcaster Win TV, but the Guangdong TV package guarantees a large audience for the league in the world's most populous country.

"We have many pay TV partners in Asia and we have a responsibility to maximise revenue for our clubs so that we can continue to attract the best players in the world," said Premier League commercial director Richard Masters. "That said, we are obviously happiest when we can match strong revenue with good viewing figures. We want as many people as possible to see Premier Leagues matches."

A number of Premier League clubs have made their own steps in the country. Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Hull are currently in Beijing to play in the Asia Cup, while Manchester United are also in the country, working with Unicef at the conclusion of their Asian Tour, which saw them play a friendly in Hangzhou on Sunday. Other English clubs have gone even further - Championship side Sheffield United have partnerships with the Chengdu Blades and the Hong Kong FA Cup.

Asia accounts for more than 40 per cent of the Premier League's global audience.