The Premier
League has once again showed its willingness to sell football supporters, and
the game’s traditions, down the river, in pursuit of vast sums of money. A ludicrous
£5.1billion deal will see Sky and BT screen live games from 2016-19, an
increase of 70% on the previous deal. However, as per usual, there are likely
to be costs for the games supporters.
It seems everything has its price, and the new deal will see the introduction of Friday Night Football. If the crappy, gimmicky name is not bad enough, it will also mean fewer Saturday 3pm kick-offs, edging the sport further away from its roots and traditions, and with an increased possibility that fixtures will be moved, it makes booking travel and accommodation to away games riskier and more expensive than ever. As the Premier League and Sky haggled over the TV rights, it’s difficult to imagine that either shared any concern as to whether their proposals would make it more difficult for supporters to follow the clubs that they love, forcing many to take time of work, and disrupting the Friday nights of many more.
The increased income for each Premier League team will be in parallel with the others in the division, and thus the wealth of each club will generally remain proportionate, despite the additional money involved, and therefore not necessarily advantageous. It will, however, be extremely advantageous to players and their agents, whose wages and fees are likely to inflate well beyond their already obscene levels. The enhanced wealth of clubs will also further increase the gap between the Premier League and Championship, with relegation becoming an even greater a financial disaster than it already is.
This new TV right deal has afforded the Premier League an opportunity to address the sickeningly high prices for match tickets. The financial increase from the 2013-16 deal alone would be enough to cover £40+ for every fan, of every club, for every game, for the whole 3 year period. It would allow a cap of £15-£20 per ticket to be brought in without effecting the current finances of clubs one bit. However, with such a huge surge of money into the game, it’s more probable that ticket prices will continue to rise to prevent it from becoming an insignificant source of income.
It seems everything has its price, and the new deal will see the introduction of Friday Night Football. If the crappy, gimmicky name is not bad enough, it will also mean fewer Saturday 3pm kick-offs, edging the sport further away from its roots and traditions, and with an increased possibility that fixtures will be moved, it makes booking travel and accommodation to away games riskier and more expensive than ever. As the Premier League and Sky haggled over the TV rights, it’s difficult to imagine that either shared any concern as to whether their proposals would make it more difficult for supporters to follow the clubs that they love, forcing many to take time of work, and disrupting the Friday nights of many more.
The increased income for each Premier League team will be in parallel with the others in the division, and thus the wealth of each club will generally remain proportionate, despite the additional money involved, and therefore not necessarily advantageous. It will, however, be extremely advantageous to players and their agents, whose wages and fees are likely to inflate well beyond their already obscene levels. The enhanced wealth of clubs will also further increase the gap between the Premier League and Championship, with relegation becoming an even greater a financial disaster than it already is.
This new TV right deal has afforded the Premier League an opportunity to address the sickeningly high prices for match tickets. The financial increase from the 2013-16 deal alone would be enough to cover £40+ for every fan, of every club, for every game, for the whole 3 year period. It would allow a cap of £15-£20 per ticket to be brought in without effecting the current finances of clubs one bit. However, with such a huge surge of money into the game, it’s more probable that ticket prices will continue to rise to prevent it from becoming an insignificant source of income.
