What the £5.136 Billion TV Deal Means for Premier League, Fans and England Team
Bidders for Premier League television rights have gambled that football fans are willing to be further squeezed in exchange for watching the sport's most lucrative division.
On Tuesday, according to the BBC, Sky and BT Sport agreed a combined £5.136 billion package for domestically broadcasting Premier League matches between 2016 and 2019—a deal that, as per football finance outlet Sportingintelligence, will see the bottom-ranked club bring in nearly £100 million in annual prize money.
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Each of the English top flight's matches will generate more than £10 million in television revenue over the life of a pact that represents a 58 percent increase on the current arrangement.
The obvious winners from Tuesday's revelation, which saw estimates of £4.5 billion (as previously anticipated by the Mirror) blown out the window, are the Premier League clubs.
Already flush with broadcasting income, they will see their spending power bolstered and will no doubt flex their financial muscle on the transfer market and in their wage packets.
A total of 14 of them featured in accounting firm Deloitte's recent Money League rankings, and it's conceivable that number could grow, or at least be consolidated, when next year's list is revealed.
The clear losers are the fans, who will be forced to bear the weight of the deal when TV subscriptions come up for renewal. Sky and BT Sport, however, have wagered that individual viewers will be willing—and are, indeed, able—to accept a hike in fees.
Supporters have so far proved them right, although if their latest calculation is faulty, the Premier League stands to endure a financial implosion unprecedented in football history.
A mass rejection of the new broadcasting landscape would not only hit both companies in the form of subscription income but also in the advertising revenue they're counting on to buttress their outlay.
Fewer eyes on screens would produce an advertising exodus, and while the clubs wouldn't feel the impact until the next negotiation, it's not difficult to forecast the domino effect.
England's national team will also be impacted and, arguably, already has been as television money has long positioned the Premier League as world football's top participant in the transfer market.
While many clubs in France, Germany and Italy simply can't afford to populate their squads with the best players money can buy, their counterparts across the Channel are free to acquire international-calibre talent from around the world.
The result is a division unmatched in star power from top to bottom but one that, because of its spending capacity, retains fewer jobs for English players.
It's a trade-off Premier League fans have accommodated in recent times, but the fact of the matter is that packages such as that announced Tuesday have a direct impact on the Three Lions.
Will English football supporters continue to abide this reality? Are their pockets deep enough for the gouge that awaits them?
Sky and BT Sport think so, and the Premier League as it currently exists depends on the success of their gamble.
