Premier League Prize Money 2014-15: Full Table, Financial Breakdown and Analysis
Chelsea earned approximately £99 million in Premier League payments during the 2014-15 season, the highest a club has ever received for a single campaign.
Jose Mourinho's champions finished eight points ahead of Manchester City, who received the second-highest amount at £98.5 million. Although Manchester United finished fourth in the division, they trumped third-place Arsenal in the financial prize stakes, highlighted by the Premier League spokesman's Twitter account:
United appeared in more televised games than Arsenal—27 compared to the Gunners' 25—which places Louis van Gaal's team just above the north Londoners in terms of cash received.
However, the Premier League's lucrative financial stakes are highlighted when inspecting money earned by the rest of the division. Even last-placed Queens Park Rangers, who drop into the Championship for the second time in three years, received just under £65 million, the most ever for a 20th-ranked club.
All teams received "merit" payment—prize money for their finishing position—with QPR's starting at £1,244,898, according to Nick Harris of the Mail Online. Each club's total is then multiplied by the number of places they finished above the bottom side, with Chelsea's amount coming in at £24,897,960.
At least £8,775,160 has been handed out in facility fees, with every club shown live on UK television at least 10 times throughout the season. Dramatic storylines can influence how often a side appears, highlighted in the Premier League's breakdown.
United's quest for Champions League football—a major plot considering Chelsea's relatively simple title win—saw the Red Devils appear on live TV more than any other club. Newcastle United's battle with relegation, an unexpected development throughout the year, also saw them appear on television 20 times. Only five teams exceeded this.
As highlighted in the aforementioned table, all clubs receive the same distribution of money from overseas rights, as well as commercial payments.
Alongside the table's release, the Premier League announced changes to parachute payments offered to relegated clubs, per Matt Dickinson of the Times:
The Premier League's tremendous financial value was confirmed in February when Sky Sports and BT Sport led the way in a £5 billion television-rights deal, reported by Charles Sale and Harris of the Mail Online. Interest continues to increase, a factor no doubt helped by the competitiveness of the division and numerous world-class stars involved.
Chelsea, one of the league's richest clubs, will be hoping to continue their battle against UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules by winning big again next season.
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