Maxis Communications Malaysia Bhd has signed a three-year partnership deal with sports channel ESPN Star Sports to become the broadcast sponsor of English Premier League football matches in Malaysia. The broadcast sponsorship will run from 2007 until the 2010 season and, based on previous deals, is expected to be worth 11 million ringgit (US$3.2 million dollars) a year. "The sponsorship with ESPN Star Sports allows us to expand our successful association with football and consolidate our position as a leading brand in world class sporting events," Maxis chief marketing officer Tom Schnitker told AFP. Maxis, Malaysia's largest mobile telecommunications firm, takes over the football sponsorship from rival Celcom, a cellular unit of government-linked Telekom Malaysia.