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Brighton heavily dependent on TV revenue

The authoritative Swiss Ramble examines the recently published accounts of Brighton and Hove Albion which showed a £22m loss in 2018/19. Only three clubs reported a larger loss than Brighton in 2017/18, namely Crystal Palace £36m, Watford £32m and Stoke City £30m.

The blogger notes, 'Brighton are no strangers to losses. In fact, they have only reported profits twice in the last 12 years (2008 and 2018). In that period, the club has accumulated £135m of losses, averaging £11m a year, mainly in the pursuit of promotion.'

The club have made very little from player sales [an increasingly important item for many clubs]. In fact, they have reported just £26m profit from this activity in the last 10 years. Their £17m profit from player sales over the last five years was the lowest of the clubs in the Premier League in the 2017/18 season. In stark contrast, Chelsea made £337m over this period, though Southampton’s £216m is perhaps more relevant.

A massive 79% of club revenue comes from TV, though in fairness this is not uncommon in the Premier League with no fewer than 12 clubs getting more than 75% of their money from broadcasting in 2017/18 with Bournemouth 'leading the way' with an astonishing 89%.

Since the move to the Amex, attendances have been steadily rising from the 7,352 in the last season at the Withdean to around 28,000 in the Championship and 30,000 in the Premier League, as the new stadium has finally met latent local demand for tickets.

Commercial income rose 7% (£0.7m) to £11.4m. This revenue stream has risen 70% since promotion, but is still one of the lowest in the top flight, only ahead of Huddersfield and Bournemouth (2017/18 figures). For context, Manchester United and Manchester City generate £275m and £227m respectively.

The American Express shirt (and stadium naming rights) sponsor is currently the lowest in the Premier League at £1.5m a year, though a new £100m 12-year deal (£8.3m a year) has been announced.

The wage bill increased by £24m (31%) from £78m to £102m, due to 'strengthening of playing squad and increased wages required to be competitive in the Premier League.' More than tripled since promotion – last season in Championship £31m. It is still firmly in the bottom half of the Premier League. The wages to turnover ratio increased (worsened) from 56% to 71%, which is just above the 70% upper limit recommended by UEFA. For some context, only seven clubs had a higher ratio in the Premier League in 2017/18.

The majority of Bloom’s funding (£176m) has gone on investment into the stadium and the training ground, though a hefty £137m was also spent (net) on new players for the club, while £47m was used to cover operating losses.

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