The Premier League’s big six have won the longstanding battle to intake a greater share of the revenue from overseas television rights.
According to Telegraph Sport, the previous system of splitting the revenue evenly will be eradicated, with both Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur benefiting from a potential extra £75m from the mammoth £4bn deal.
The deal, which is expected to be agreed before the end of the season, represents a significant rise from the previous one, which will be seen as a major victory for the Premier League, especially following the slight decrease in value of domestic rights.
Following the new deal, it’s anticipated that foreign TV rights could make up approximately half of the overall broadcasting revenue received by Premier League clubs.
The new deal will inevitably draw criticism from fans citing that it will deepen the gap in the league, making it increasingly difficult for teams outside the top six to compete financially.
The latest television deal strengthens the league’s position as gaining more from foreign TV money than any other league in the world, it also increases the likelihood of the Premier League becoming the first league to earn the majority of its broadcasting revenue from overseas money.
It comes as current Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore prepares to depart at the end of the season.
In the 19 years Scudamore was in the role, the PL’s earnings from TV rights have increased over 25 times from £0.191 billion in 1992-97 to the current 2016-19 deal which totals £5.136 billion. Scudamore took over in 1999 when the contract was still worth under £1 billion for a four-year period. He has overseen every successful deal since.
It is still uncertain who will take the role from Scudamore, with the Premier League struggling to find a replacement. Firstly, Susanna Dinnage was earmarked as the perfect replacement but mere weeks before she was to take on the PL chief executive’s role, Dinnage announced she would no longer be filling Scudamore’s shoes.
