Liverpool beat City in TV money stakes

The Premier League has published its TV revenue for the 2018/19 season, ranging from £97m for relegated Huddersfield Town to £152m for Liverpool, who earned more than league winners Manchester City £151m, due to more matches broadcast live. Each club receives equal shares for 50% of domestic TV £34.4m, overseas TV £43.2m and commercial income £5.0m. Each league position is worth £1.9m (merit payment), while each match broadcast live is worth £1.1m (on top of £12.2m for a minimum of 10 games).

Liverpool's Premier League TV money increased by £6.5m from £145.9m to £152.4m in 2018/19, due to a £3.6m higher merit payment (for finishing 2nd, compared to 4th the previous season) and £2.4m more from overseas TV deals. They benefited from most live TV games: 29 versus City 26. Premier League TV money for City increased by £1.6m from £149.4m to £151.0m in 2018/19, due to £2.4m more from overseas TV deals. No change in league position or number of matches broadcast live (26), but this was fewer than Liverpool, which explains why they got less than the Reds.

Chelsea's Premier League TV money increased by £4.3m from £141.7m to £146.0m in 2018/19, due to a £3.6m higher merit payment (finished 3rd, compared to 5th the previous season) and £2.4m more from overseas TV deals, offset by £1.4m less for fewer live matches broadcast (25 vs. 26). Spurs had a marginal increase in their TV revenue of £0.8m. Arsenal were up by just £0.2m.

United's Premier League TV money decreased by £7.3m from £149.8m to £142.5m in 2018/19, due to £7.9m lower merit payment (finished 6th, compared to second the prior season) and £1.4m facility fees (fewer live matches broadcast: 27 vs. 28), offset by £2.4m more from overseas TV deals.

The club with the largest year-on-year increase in Premier League TV money was Watford, whose revenue rose by £7.6m from £106.3m to £113.9m in 2018/19, mainly due to improving three places in the league from 14th to 11th (£5.7m), boosted by £2.4m more from overseas TV deals.

The largest year-on-year decrease in Premier League TV money was Burnley, whose revenue fell £12.5m from £119.8m to £107.3m in 2018/19, mainly due to dropping eight places in the league from 7th to 15th (£15.5m), offset by £2.4m more from overseas deals and one more live game (£1.0m).

2018/19 parachute payments have not yet been published, but the authoritative Swiss Ramble estimates these, based on the percentage applied in 2017/18 to the PL equal shares (year 1 – 55%, year 2 – 45%, year 3 – 20%): Stoke, Swansea, WBA £43m; Hull, Middlesbrough, Sunderland £35m; QPR £17m; and Aston Villa £16m.

The Swiss Ramble notes, 'The Premier League TV payments are obviously massive, especially compared to the Championship, where most clubs only receive around £8m (including £4.5m PL solidarity payment and £2.3m EFL central distribution), which represents just 8% of the £97m for last place in the PL.'

He continues, 'In the latest chapter of the “rich getting richer” in football, the total Premier League TV rights will rise 8% for the next 2019-22 cycle. Despite domestic rights falling by 7%, overseas rights have shot up by 30%, leading to a net increase from £8.5 bn to £9.2 bn. This is important, as the increase in overseas TV money will for the first time be distributed based on league position. No Premier League clubs will be worse off, though the leading clubs will clearly benefit the most, but EFL clubs will not receive any of the growth.

Wolves get raw deal from FFP

I used to see a lifelong Wolves fan for lunch once a month. He was approaching ninety, but still went to games. Sadly he passed away the other week. As football finance guru Kieran Maguire has noted, Wolves continue to be constrained by financial fair play rules. Radio 4 this morning described them as this year's 'crisis club' and the pessimists have certainly been piling in. Martin Samuel wrote sympathetically in the Sunday Times yesterday, saying that the Premier League drives talent away with regulatory red tape: 'Why could Al-Hilal sign Neves? Because Wolves needed the money. And why did Wolves need the money? Because the club had to comply with an artificial construct known as financial fair play. So Wolves are going skint, yes? No. There is no suggestion that Wolves are in financial trouble, only that they are failing to meet the rigours of FFP. Wolves’ owners appear to have the money to run the club, and invest in the club, and in fact came up with a pow

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

Charlton takeover approved

The long awaited takeover of Charlton Athletic by SE7 Partners from Thomas Sandgaard has been approved: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/se7-partners-obtain-efl-approval-for-charlton-athletic-takeover/ Charlton have had unhappy experiences with owners for over a decade, so how this works out will remain to be seen. There is certainly potential there, but will it be realised? This interview with Charlie Methven gives detail not available elsewhere: https://thecharltondossier.com/charlie-methven-on-the-record/

The Political Economy of Football V2

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