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The might of the English TV deal

The authoritative Swiss Ramble looks at how broadcasting money is distributed across Europe. After years of individual deals in Spain, La Liga have introduced a collective deal, based on 50% equal share, 25% performance over last 5 years and 25% popularity (1/3 for average match day income, 2/3 for number of TV viewers).

Even after the changes, Barcelona and Real Madrid still receive by far the most TV income from La Liga’s TV deal with around €140m apiece, followed by Atletico Madrid €100m, then a big gap to Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao €70m. Lowest payments went to Girona and Leganes €40m.

The Bundesliga TV revenue is distributed using four criteria: the five-year league performance ranking (70%); the five-year ranking for both divisions (23%); the 20-year ranking for both divisions (5%); and the playing time of Germany U23s (2%).

As a result, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund received the most from the Bundesliga TV deal with €98m and €88m respectively, followed by Schalke 04 €80m and Bayer Leverkusen €78m. RB Leipzig only earned €30m due to their relatively recent promotion to Bundesliga 1.

Serie A TV money is distributed as follows: 50% equal share; 30% performance (15% last season, 10% last 5 years, 5% historical); and 20% profile (number of supporters). The new 2018/19 deal increased the equal share from 40% to 50% and placed more emphasis on recent performance.

Estimated Serie A TV revenue in 2018/19 has Juventus leading the way with €85m, but not too far ahead of Inter €83m, followed by Milan €77m, Napoli €77m and Roma €75m. The lowest amounts were received by Frosinone €36m and Empoli €39m.

Ligue 1 TV money is distributed according to the 50-30-20 rule: 50% equal share (30% fixed, 20% according to club licences); 30% league standing (25% current season, 5% five previous seasons); and 20% media profile.

Unsurprisingly, Paris Saint-Germain received the highest TV money in France with €60m, then a fairly large gap to Lyon €48m and Marseille €47m, followed by Saint-Etienne €40m, Lille €38m and Monaco €32m. Dijon and Amiens earned just €19m.

Every Premier League clubs receives more money from their TV deal than all other European clubs except Barcelona and Real Madrid. Apart from the Spanish giants, the distribution in Spain, Germany and Italy is fairly similar, while the French clubs get much less. Nevertheless the distribution in the Premier League is the most equitable with the top club earning only 1.6 times the bottom club, followed by Serie A (2.3x). The highest ratio is La Liga with 3.6, but a few years ago this was as high as 11.5.

The might of the English TV deal is evident when looking at average revenue distribution. Each Premier League club received £123m on average, which was more than twice as much as La Liga £56m, Serie A £52m and Bundesliga £52m. The French clubs were lagging way behind at £27m.

If we rank clubs from the Big 5 leagues by revenue from their TV deals, the Premier League contributes 18 of the top 20 clubs with the only interlopers being Barcelona (7th place) and Real Madrid (10th). Liverpool are highest in Europe with £152m.

The bottom club in the Premier League, Huddersfield Town (£97m), earned more from their domestic TV deal than many European giants, such as Atletico Madrid £94m, Bayern Munich £89m, Borussia Dortmund £80m and Juventus £78m.

Interestingly, Premier League domestic TV rights will drop 7% in 2020 from £1.8 bln a year to £1.7 bln, while two other leagues will see significant growth: Ligue 1 will increase by nearly 60% from £660m to £1.0 bln, while La Liga is up 15% from £0.9 bln to £1.0 bln. However, the Premier League continues to reign supreme in international TV rights, up by a third from £1.0 bln a year to £1.4 bln.

La Liga also benefits from a 30% increase from £627m to £815m. Lagging far behind are Serie A £337m, Bundesliga £218m and especially Ligue 1 £73m. In total, the Premier League TV rights in 2020 will amount to £3.1 bln a year, still far above the other European Leagues: La Liga £1.9 bln, Bundesliga £1.3 bln, Serie A £1.2 bln and Ligue 1 £1.1 bln.

The highest ranked French club in terms of national TV deals is Paris Saint-Germain, but their £54m puts them only in 41st position, around the same as three mid-tier Italian clubs (Torino, Sampdoria and Fiorentina). 16 of the 18 lowest ranked clubs for TV money in the Big 5 leagues are in France with the lowest amount received being Dijon £17m.

Looking at the gap between the top club and third placed club, the revenue gaps are quite small (Premier League £6m, Serie A €7m, Ligue 1 €12m and Bundesliga €16m) with the exception to the rule being La Liga, where the gap is a hefty €37m.

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