Once upon a time, the English Premier League and China's national broadcaster, CCTV, were best of friends. In the days when the Internet in China was little more than a dream to the vast majority of the population, the channel would show EPL matches on a regular basis, and millions would tune in to see Chinese players Sun Jihai and Li Tie mix it up with the world's best in English stadia.

However,In the end, both sides thought they should be the dominant partner in the ­relationship, and ­negotiations ground to a halt around a ­decade ago. What followed was the rise of Italian, German and Spanish soccer in China - while the English league was relegated to the broadcasting wilderness.

But, after years of piecing together smaller TV deals with regional channels, as well as an ill-fated experiment with an online pay-per-view model, the EPL could now be back to competing on level terms with the other European leagues in China.

Make no mistake: No new deal with CCTV has been signed - nor is one likely. But significant streaming agreements have now been made with major online portals. Sina Sports have announced that they will stream 230 of the 380 EPL games for free in the ­upcoming season, while ­Tencent and LeTV will also provide viewing options for fans.

The prices have not yet been disclosed, but coming on the heels of Tencent's staggering five-year, $500 million deal for exclusive online rights to the NBA, it is clear that the days when CCTV controlled the sports broadcast market in ­China are well and truly over.

It is not just the media ­companies who have sought to benefit from changing ­audience habits in this part of the world. EPL side Swansea signed a shirt sponsorship deal two years ago with financial services provider Goldenway, while online gaming platform Mansion Group signed deals in recent weeks with both Crystal Palace and EPL newcomers Bournemouth.

The companies themselves might not be among the world's most high-profile ones, but the result is that at least three of the 20 EPL teams will wear ­Chinese characters on their shirts this season, even if the fact they are traditional, rather than simplified, characters implies the desired audience lives beyond the Chinese mainland.

Meanwhile, the Italian, German and Spanish leagues will continue on CCTV, but do not be surprised if those leagues look to re-evaluate their exposure in China, given the rise of online viewing platforms.