Premier League has risen well above Serie A in
Italy and La Liga in Spain over the past decade to become the
richest league across Europe.
The extraordinary globalisation of the Premier League could make
English football the first world sport to earn more money from
their supporters abroad than at home. An estimated worldwide
audience of one billion watched Manchester United play Arsenal on
Saturday and, if growth rates continue, the revenue from overseas
broadcast rights will eventually exceed those paid by companies for
the domestic rights.
Truly global: an estimated worldwide audience
of one billion watched Arsenal host Manchester United
And a new study, soon to be published by Deloitte, will show that
the Premier League have risen well above Serie A in Italy and La
Liga in Spain over the past decade to become the richest league
across Europe by 1 billion (£0.7 billion).
"The Premier League has just accelerated from every other league in
the world," said Dan Jones, a partner in the sports business group
at Deloitte. "I can think of no other example of the overseas
rights overtaking the domestic rights. I don't think it is
inevitable but I have heard people in the industry predict that the
next time around [in 2010] the overseas rights will match those
domestically. You only have to look at the world population to see
the potential for growth."
Premier League games are broadcast to 600 million homes in 202
countries across Europe, Asia, Australasia, Oceania, Africa, the
Americas and the Middle East. And, after doubling the value of
those rights this year to £625 million, there is a feeling they
could eventually be worth more than the £1.7 billion currently
being paid for the domestic rights by Sky and Setanta.
The vast potential only underlines the likelihood of more foreign
ownership of Premier League clubs and of kick-off times eventually
being changed to suit fans abroad. The huge audience for Saturday's
lunchtime match was boosted by it being screened during the evening
across the Far East.
The broadcaster for much of the Asian market is ESPN Star Sports,
the media giant jointly owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation
and Walt Disney. Between now and Christmas, Liverpool and Arsenal
will play just one match each at 3pm on a Saturday, while Chelsea
and Manchester United will play at the traditional time twice
apiece. The recent NFL game at Wembley has also opened eyes to the
idea of playing domestic matches in different countries.
The Premier League are well aware of the interest abroad, but
reject any suggestion that the game could get taken away from the
traditional supporter. "It is the whole package which is popular,"
a spokesman said, "the quality on the pitch, state-of-the-art
stadiums as well as the fact that so many nations are represented
by the players. But it is also important to remember that one of
the biggest selling points of the league is full stadiums and the
passionate support of fans in England. That remains the cornerstone
of the league."
Double your money
The global rise of the Premier League Overseas
rights
2001-2004 ............. £178m
2004-2007 ............. £325m
2007-2010 ............. £625m
2010-2013 ............. £1.7bn?
