According to a Deloitte report, the Premier League (PL) is home to more than half of the world’s wealthiest sports teams (measured by revenue).
In the financial expert’s Money League analysis from the 21/22 season, 11 Premier League teams rank among the top 20. More than half of the clubs come from the same league for the first time in the 26-year history of the survey. Man City lead the way (as they often do) with €731m, slightly ahead of Real Madrid in second with €713.8m.
Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal are also in the top 10, with West Ham, Leicester, Leeds, Everton, and Newcastle taking up the rest of the PL spots. In fact, five of the PL’s ‘Big Six’ teams reported revenue gains of 15% or more.
Will there come a time when all 20 premier league clubs are in the top 30 richest clubs in the world?
The answer to this question is more of a case of ‘if’ not ‘when’.
The Premier League draws the most viewers worldwide. According to PremierLeague.com, the league had a staggering cumulative audience of 4.7bn people across 212 countries and territories during the 2010/11 season. The PL now has unmatched power to negotiate both clubs’ individual sponsorship agreements, as well as its centralised television rights deal.
Therefore, it’s very likely that clubs like Brentford, Brighton and Aston Villa, among others, will begin to expand into the top 30 richest clubs in the world.
Current bidding war
Media sources indicate that tech giant Apple is considering a proposal for the license to stream the English Premier League in the UK. According to The Daily Mail, the Premier League’s three-year contract with UK-based Sky Sports and BT Sport expires in 2025, and bidding for the following set of rights is expected to start later this year. Also, many American-owned teams, notably Chelsea under Todd Boehly, think the $6.23 billion over three years price tag for the rights is too low and are asking US technology giants to raise it. According to the rumour, the tech giant intends to expand its sports coverage beyond the recent agreement it made for a decade to stream Major League Soccer exclusively on Apple TV beginning next month.
If you are looking to find out how you can capitalise on the commercial opportunities in UK sport feel free to get in touch at hello@niftycomms.com or download our eBook.
