Going back to the Premier League clubs like Everton, West Brom and Bolton are already swimming against the monetary current. Sanctioning clubs to pursue their own TV deals would send them sinking at a quicker rate. Of course, some fans would offer the Darwinian argument of ‘survival of the fittest’, but I would ask: do we really want the Premier League to become even less competitive? Spurs breaking into the top four and Man City’s arrival have been vital for the competition and, despite the reams that have been written about City’s cash it would be great if they could add their name to the list of Premier League champions.
Blackburn Rovers aside, only three clubs (Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal) have ever been perennial contenders for the title, with Liverpool seemingly permanently positioned in fourth. The rest of the top half were left to fight for the dubious honour of competing in the Europa League.
Individual TV rights will hinder competition even more than the Champions League did, as this will cut off, once and for all, the challenge of clubs like Everton. Liverpool’s commercial director Ian Ayre had this to say regarding the debate: “…with the greatest of respect to our colleagues in the Premier League, but if you’re a Bolton fan in Bolton, then you subscribe to Sky because you want to watch Bolton. Everyone gets that. Likewise, if you’re a Liverpool fan from Liverpool, you subscribe. But if you’re in Kuala Lumpur there isn’t anyone subscribing to Astro, or ESPN to watch Bolton, or if they are it’s a very small number.
Whereas the large majority are subscribing because they want to watch Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal…” This boast certainly sounds presumptive but there are probably official figures that can validate the claim. I know Sky themselves have often promoted Liverpool vs. Man Utd as the most watched game on Earth. However, many clubs rely on the TV revenue to break even (or in many cases just to reduce the accumulation of annual debt). The loss of this income could push many to the brink. They would need to sell players to reduce wage bills, which in turn destroys the quality they have making them less competitive and further cutting off the ‘elite’ from the rest.
In my mind there would be a top six of: Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs who command the highest TV money and also swap Champions League placements season by season separate from the other fourteen clubs who are left to ‘fight amongst themselves’.
The other issue is that the money clubs get for their finishing places in the league is taken from the TV revenue pot. There is a possibility that this money would be taken away as well, thus leaving clubs with only the TV money they can generate themselves (as well as season tickets and commercial endeavours) at the beginning of a season.
If the issue does go to a vote then fourteen of the twenty Premier League clubs need to vote yes for it to go ahead. I’d be very surprised if many clubs, besides the six listed above would go for this deal. However, as stated at the beginning of the article there is an air of the inevitable about the big clubs trying to garner more control over how much they’re paid. Ian Ayre has stated they’re only looking into the overseas contract and distribution. But we all know, that if they’re successful in changing this it will only be a matter of time until they start on the domestic rights too.
The Premier League is the product and, whilst Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea may be amongst the most glamorous players they are by no means the only ones. West Brom vs. Stoke is just as capable of producing the excitement and controversy and theatre as any ‘top four clash’ and as such, all clubs should be entitled to their fair share of the cash the product creates.
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