by Premier League clubs must use their record TV revenues to make matchday attendance more affordable for fans, the Football Supporters’ Association has said.
The league announced domestic media rights sales worth £6.7bn on Monday for the four seasons starting in 2025-26, with the value of live rights within that up by four per cent to £6.406bn in comparison. the current cycle.
The league described the deal as “the largest sports media rights deal ever completed in the UK”.
That increase in value has been achieved by selling more games for live coverage – up to 270 of the 380 games per season from 2025-26 compared to 200 per season in the current cycle.
FSA chairman Malcolm Clarke says this will create a “massive headache” for fans of the games and is calling on top clubs to think creatively about how they can reward the supporters who generate the t -an atmosphere that league leaders acknowledge is one of the most attractive features of the competition. .
“The new TV deal will have a huge impact on fans with fewer games than ever played on a Saturday at 3pm – a huge headache for supporters trying to get to and from games at unsociable hours,” said Clarke in a statement issued to. the PA news agency.
“Broadcasters have almost absolute power to dictate kick-off times, often to the detriment of supporters, and we want top clubs and the Premier League to do much more for supporters with the money generated.
“Capitals chief executive Richard Masters says this move is a testament to players, managers and supporters who create an ‘unbeatable atmosphere every week’ – so let’s make sure supporters of affordable football are rewarded for it home and away at every club.”
Premier League clubs voted in June 2022 to keep the £30 cap on away tickets for the next three seasons, meaning any change to the cap would take effect in the first season of the new home TV cycle .
Clarke also called for Premier League revenue to be “much more evenly distributed” across the football pyramid to “protect the bedrock of the game and our historic football clubs which play a vital role in our communities”.
Talks are underway between the Premier League, the English Football League and the Football Association about the ‘New Deal For Football’, basically an agreement on how TV revenue should be distributed down the pyramid in the future.
The deal will also cover new cost control measures as the professional game prepares for the arrival of an independent regulator, as well as changes to the domestic calendar to balance the increased demands from international club competitions such as the expanded Champions League and Club World Cup.
Francois Godard, senior media and telecommunications analyst at Enders Analysis, announced that the Premier League’s handling of its latest home rights sale was a success.
“I think it’s a good deal because prices for rights are flat across Europe, or going down,” Godard told PA.
“The most important thing is to keep the gap between the money they earn and the money earned by the closest (competitor) on the continent, Spain’s LaLiga.”
Godard felt the structure of the deal – spread over four years instead of the traditional three years and with two smaller packages available – suited the largest rights holder Sky Sports, which he believes has a symbiotic relationship with the league.
“Sky wants the Premier League. It’s their best and most valuable material,” Godard added.
“I see this from a continental perspective. Sky understands that the value of the Premier League depends on what they pay. If they pay less they will undermine the value at some point.
🚨BREAKING🚨: Sky Sports agrees new Premier League rights deal
Sky Sports to show 70% more games – a record 215 matches – in new four-year deal from 2025/26.
More Premier League action than any other broadcaster, with at least four games every week. pic.twitter.com/Q9ye5w9Vzj
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) December 4, 2023
“Obviously he could have paid three per cent less, all right, but they understand that the Premier League has to get a higher income to deliver this great competition.
“I say that because I see, in some continental markets, the incumbent only thinks about saving money, but saving money is undermining the value you get.”
Sky Sports secured four of the five packages – the most any single broadcaster was allowed to buy – while TNT secured the fifth which retains the right to broadcast 52 games a season and the main Saturday 12.30pm kick-off slot.
It is understood that the composition of the packages, and the difficulty of taking advantage of a high-end premium model within its Prime subscription service, led to Amazon’s decision not to bid.
He has the rights to 20 matches per season from 2019, and last year secured UK rights to 17 first-choice games in the Champions League on Tuesday nights for three seasons from 2024-25.
Streaming service DAZN said publicly it would look at Premier League rights but did not confirm any of the packages. DAZN has been contacted for comment.
