Skip to main content

Premier League secures better than expected TV deal

The Premier League has secured a three year roll over of its broadcasting agreements with Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon Prime and BBC TV: https://www.premierleague.com/news/2139168?sf245845494=1

Although it comes at a price, it does represent a win in the current uncertain climate.   It is open to question whether it would have been permitted by competition authorities if Britain was still a member of the EU.  It is certainly a change from getting broadcasters to bid against one another in an auction.

The deal will secure a £1.67bn income from domestic broadcasters and protects the value of domestic rights revenues at a time when many analysts had expected them to fall by perhaps as much as 15 to 20 per cent.  The domestic rights for 2019/22 fell in value by eight per cent compared with the previous three years, though that was more than offset by an increase in overseas TV rights.

In order to secure government approval the Premier League agreed to make a £100m one-off payment to EFL clubs and football further down the pyramid.  This will be spread over three years from 2022 to 2025 and will be on top of the £124m already paid in solidarity payments.

The full Government statement on the deal is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/written-ministerial-statement-from-the-minister-for-sport-and-tourism-on-premier-league-broadcasting-rights

Dr Borja Garcia of Loughborough University commented: 'This is going to be the second time in a row that the value of PL domestic TV rights will go down if calculated per game and in real terms. All in all, a good act of damage limitation.'

'What this demonstrates, once again, is how resistant football/premier league is to wider systemic crises. It weathered incredibly well the 2008 financial crisis, and seems to limit its damages in the even more difficult context of COVID+Brexit.'

Garcia added: 'By the way, £100m of a contract valued around £4.8bn is not that much, to be honest. But will make good PR, I guess.'


Comments

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...

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 ...

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 ...