THE global economic crisis might be biting everyone hard but it appears the already cash-rich Premier League could be in for another super-sized cash windfall later this year.

ESPN – the Disney-owned American cable network – is preparing to bid for one or two of the six broadcasting rights packages on offer for the 2010-2013 Premiership seasons.

And a third big player in the bidding war – a serious rival to BSkyB and Setanta – will probably mean England’s top 20 clubs banking a bumper bundle that would exceed the current three-year deal that kicked off in 2007.

That pumped an eye-watering £2.7billion into the game, hiking Bolton Wanderers’ broadcasting revenue from £26m to £34m last season.

Branded as “The Worldwide Leader in Sports”, ESPN is no newcomer to football – or soccer as they prefer to call it in the US.

They currently have a broadcasting deal with Major League Soccer which runs to 2014 and have already secured the rights for the 2010 and 2014 World Cup finals.

They actually tried and failed to get a foot in the Premier League door in the last bidding round so they don’t appear to have any qualms about hooking up with the most marketable league in the world – despite the fact that it is effectively dominated by just four clubs.

The Premier League will carve up the 2010-2013 packages this summer and all the indications are that, while TV deals in other sports are hit by the downturn in the global economy and the vast majority of football fans will be feeling the financial heat, the numbers are again going to be mind-bogglingly high.

Recession – what recession?