‘My advice to clubs would be: cut your wage bill’: Premier League predicted to see a 20% drop in next UK TV rights deal
- Premier League is set for a dramatic crash in television rights cash from the UK
- Claire Enders predicts next round of Sky and BT deals will see a drop of 20%
- The UK market could also see a 40% fall in the Champions League deals
The Premier League is set for a dramatic crash in television rights cash from the UK market, according to leading industry analyst.
Speaking at the FT Business Summit, Claire Enders of Enders Analysis predicted that the next round of Sky Sports and BT television deals will see a drop of 20% for the next Premier League UK rights’ deal, while the UK market could see a 40% fall in the Champions League.
In February 2018, the domestic deal between 2019 and 2022 saw the pair bid £4.4bn, down from £5.1bnm to screen the Premier League.
The Premier League is set for a dramatic crash in television rights cash from the UK market
Now Enders believes a further sharp fall will come in the Premier League it will be even more acute in the Champions League, where BT Sport previously distorted the market in order to blow Sky out of the race.
She said: ‘I would confidently predict a 40% decline in Champions League income in the UK rights. The drop in PL auction will be 20% decline. My advice to clubs would be: cut your wage bill.’
While subscription television channels may be less keen, the industry had hoped that streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon or Facebook may take up the reins. But Peter Hutton, Facebook’s Director of Global Sports Partnerships and Programming, warned: ‘I don’t think we will be magic fairy to arrive with cash and distribute generally. We will have major say in how sport is consumed, though.’
Analyst Claire Enders predicts next round of Sky and BT deals will see a drop of 20%
However, Richard Masters, the Interim Chief Executive of the Premier League, insisted that the overseas market will offset the domestic decline as he negotiates the next round of contracts. ‘Our international markets will be up around 30%. This will allow the Premier to grow.’
Masters is currently in the post as the Premier League search for a full-time appointment to replace Richard Scudamore. Masters was previously the Premier League’s Managing Director and suggested he would like the CEO role full-time.
He added: ‘I have enjoyed the last six months. We are moving things forward… I have enjoyed it. I’m realistic and will do the job as long as they need me to.’