Skip to main content

New tv deal will not bust bank

The new domestic television deal for the Premier League is unlikely to see a big increase in the cost of the contract, but there may be changes in what is offered to viewers.

Far more than half of all Premier League matches could be shown live from 2019. Three options are up for discussion: 190, 200 or 210 of the 380 top flight games played each season. At present 168 games are aired each season, but the league has promised regulator Ofcom that it will make at least 190 available in the next three year deal which will run to 2022. If the maximum option is chosen with 42 additional matches televised that would mean more matches shown midweek and on bank holidays.

The Premier League is considering introducing a prime time late night slot for Premier League matches but will try to protect the practice of not permitting any live broadcasts of 3pm matches on Saturdays. There would also be occasions when two live matches would be screened simultaneously which would dilute the audience.

In 2015 Sky and BT paid a combined £5.1bn, a 67 per cent increase, for the domestic rights with the bulk of the matches going to Sky. There is not expected to be more than a modest increase this time even if a digital giant such as Facebook or Amazon submits a bid. BT is more focused on Champions League coverage, although it would like to have the Saturday night slot.

The big six clubs are sulking after they failed to get a bigger share of overseas television rights and may resist efforts to give broadcasters greater access to players, managers and dressing rooms.

The tender is expected to go out to broadcasters before Christmas with the auction to be completed in February.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Threat of financial calamity removed from Baggies

West Bromwich Albion had effectively been in decline ever since the club was sold to a Chinese consortium in August 2016, paying a figure north of £200m to buy former owner Jeremy Peace’s stake. Controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai’s ownership was fairly disastrous for the club, but his unloved tenure finally came to an end after Bilkul Football WBA, a company ultimately owned by Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father Dr Kiran Patel, acquired an 87.8% shareholding in West Bromwich Albion Group Limited, the parent company of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. This change in ownership was urgently required, due to the numerous financial problems facing West Brom, including growing high-interest debt and serious cash flow concerns, following years of no investment from the former owner. Indeed, West Brom’s auditors had already rung the alarm bell in the 2021/22 accounts when they cast doubt on the club’s ability to continue as a going concern without making player s
1 comment
Read more

Gold standard ground boosts Tottenham's income

The gold standard in European football grounds is the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in north London, a £1bn construction project completed in 2019. Its impact on the club’s finances has become increasingly clear as the effects of the pandemic have faded. Previously, the average fan would spend less than £2 inside the ground on a typical match day, but now that figure is about £16, thanks to new facilities including the longest bar in Europe and an on-site microbrewery. Capacity has gone up from 36,000 at the club’s previous home of White Hart Lane to 62,000.  The new stadium — built on land adjacent to White Hart Lane — has opened the door to a broad range of other events that have helped to push commercial income up from €117mn in 2018 to €215mn in 2022. Last year, Tottenham hosted US singer Beyoncé for five nights on her global Renaissance tour, two NFL matches, as well as rugby games and heavyweight boxing bouts.  Money brought in from football has gone up too. Match day income is
Post a Comment
Read more

Spurs to sell minority stake

Tottenham Hotspur is in talks to sell a minority stake in a deal that could value it at up to £3.75 billion and pave the way for Joe Lewis and his family to sever ties with the Premier League football club. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is seeking an investment that values the club at between £3.5 billion and £3.75 billion, including debt. While the terms of any deal have not been finalised, City sources expect Spurs to sell about 10 per cent. The club is being advised by bankers from Rothschild on the sale. Tottenham wants to raise fresh capital for new player signings and to help fund the development of an academy for its women’s team, as well as a 30-storey hotel next to its north London stadium. The financier Amanda Staveley, who brokered the deal for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to take over Newcastle United, is understood to be among the parties to have expressed an interest in Tottenham. Staveley’s fund, PCP Capital Partners, has raised about £500 million to depl
Post a Comment
Read more