Posted on 14th February 2018
The Premier League has announced a new funding scheme for National League system clubs and those in the women’s game. Grants totalling £16m are available between now and the end of the season.
Premier League auction nets £4.46bn
This is a story from the FSF archive – the FSF and SD merged to become the FSA in 2019.
The latest TV auction for Premier League games from 2019-2022 has brought in £4.464bn for the competition’s clubs – with two live packages and foreign rights still to be sold.
Sky Sports have won the rights to four tranches – 128 live matches – while BT Sport have one, comprising 32 games. The amount raised in the latest domestic TV auction is a decrease on the Premier League’s last deal, agreed in 2015 and running until 2019, which was worth £5.14bn.
However, the total is expected exceed the 2015 sale once all the remaining games, including the international packages, have been sold.
The latest cycle will see the number of Premier League games broadcast on TV rise to 200 live matches a season, an increase from the 168 for which broadcasters bid in 2015. More than half of Premier League fixtures under the new deal will be moved from the traditional 3pm Saturday kick-off time.
Other changes for the 2019-2022 deal include eight individual games shown live in a ‘prime-time’ Saturday night slot, three complete rounds of 10 midweek matches all shown live, and one set of bank holiday games.
Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters’ Federation, said: “Match-goers will be concerned about the number of televised games heading upwards. The FSF has always opposed an increase in the number of broadcast games, which has come about as a result of the Ofcom decision of 2016.
“Every occasion a game’s kick-off time is moved travelling fans are inconvenienced, sometimes having to fork out for overnight hotel stays or book additional days off work as public transport options don’t always exist. Premier League clubs must remember how crucial the away supporter is to the atmosphere at games – it’s a vital part of the spectacle which sells for billions around the globe.
“In recent years the Premier League has, rightly, responded to that argument by introducing the £30 away ticket price cap. Fans want to see that cap maintained in future and would also like to see clubs introduce measures to reduce the impact of televised games on away fans in particular. We’d also like to see clubs introduce concessions for 18-22 year-olds to ensure that young adults are not priced out of games.”
