Richest Football League! English Premier League’s Success Story is one of foundation, realization and domination.
Richest Football League! It sums up the genius in players, passion in fans and intelligence of an executive who changed the dynamics of the money game.
Who’s richest FIFA, EPL or UEFA? Football is a religion. And Premier League is the most sacred temple of it. Factly, it’s globally well-known that the English Premier League is the world’s biggest and most lucrative sporting event.
Richest Football League! The league is considered the most grinding as well as the most competitive globally.
English Premier League is the world’s biggest and most lucrative sporting event.
In the richest leagues FIFA, EPL and UEFA, Premier League attracts the world’s best players. In fact, barring a few clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich and now emerging PSG, EPL is the go-to destination for top players. The league is the world’s most followed and biggest sporting event.
EPL The Richest League!
Richest Football League! EPL is the prime example of a thriving sports business model. The league has come a long way from an era when English clubs found it tough to compete in the 80s, barred from European competition, crumbling stadiums, and hooliganism. There was even a time when the league had to pay money to overseas broadcasters to show the games.
Today, it had tens of millions of dollars in individual deals with broadcasters in different countries. As per a 2019 Deloitte report, all the EPL’s “Big Six” clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs) are among the ten of the world’s who’s who of richest clubs across FIFA, EPL and UEFA.
In 2017-18, the EPL’s 20 clubs recorded revenues of $5.87bn, while Spain’s La Liga posted $4.25bn for 42 clubs and German Bundesliga posted $4.27bn for all 36 clubs.
Therefore, comparing to the two biggest international bodies FIFA’s revenues were US $4.6 billion and UEFA’s $3.07 billion EU. So, who’s richest FIFA, EPL or UEFA? Thus, this makes the Premier League stand over a full $1bn clear of the pack. That two with half the number of teams contributing to the numbers.
The Dynamics of EPL’s riches
It is no surprise where the English Premier League is today. This is the exact reason why it was founded in 1992. The founding clubs wanted to improve performance both in international competitions and financially, provide a stronger management structure, and open opportunities of commercial development.
The founding fathers established Premier League with the aim of catching up with Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A. But saying that, there’s no denying that no one would have ever imagined the state of affairs today. Consequently, the EPL has made England the focus of the globe’s largest entertainment behemoth. EPL is arguable the biggest British influence globally since the colonial era. Which is why they win the contest of who’s richest FIFA, EPL or UEFA.
Much of the league’s global dominance is owed to how it has embraced globalization. Of its 533 players in 2019, 66% are foreigners.
Richest Football League! Only one of the top clubs (Spurs) is wholly British owners but by someone who lives in the Bahamas. Club owners range from flamboyant Americans, secretive Russians, oil-rich Arabs and the diligent Chinese. The managers of the “Big Six” are all foreigners but one. The sponsorships also come from across the globe. From Japanese Yokohama, Gulf’s Emirates and Etihad to Hong Kong’s AIA, and United States’ Chevrolet.
The Psychology behind an unmatched global fanbase
The premier league boasts the most aggregated attendance across all matches in any league of the world at 14,508,981. There average attendance of 38,181, was only second to the German Bundesliga’s second to the Bundesliga’s 43,500. But this is due to the lower number of teams (18) in Germany.
The potential fanbase of Premier League is nearly 5 billion people of the total 8 billion or so across the globe. This isn’t a coincidence. Rather, the global fanbase stems from the centuries of colonization when the British anglicized over half the known world.
Premier League’s potential 5 billion fanbase stems from the centuries of colonization when the British anglicized over half the known world.
English is the world’s most spoken language. An Asian or an American fan finds it conspicuous to watch football with Italian or Spanish commentary. Moreover, English football sounds the most familiar. But the strength of the English language isn’t a fool-proof formula and much has been the influence of genius marketing.
Luck behind the mammoth viewership
What makes the Premier League the world’s most lucrative sporting venture is the global audience viewing the league. EPL is the most-watched sports league in the world. Furthermore, it is broadcasted in 212 territories and reaches over 643 million homes. So, who’s richest FIFA, EPL or UEFA in terms of TV rights? The EPL has a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people. It generates an average €2.2 billion per year in domestic and international television rights.
EPL is broadcasted in 212 territories, reaches over 643 million homes with a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion generating €2.2 billion per year.
This again isn’t a coincidence. In the richest FIFA, EPL or UEFA, Premier League is the most watched league because of the prime geographical position. England is at the centre of the World’s time zones. This means that the country’s active day time matches some part of the day in far along places ranging from the US to Asia Pacific.
When a Premier League match kicks off around mid-day in London or Manchester, there’s audience east and west. An Arab, Indian, Chinese, South Asian and Japanese can enjoy the match during lunch time, supper or with evening drinks. On the other hand in the west, the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina can enjoy the match with a bowl of cornflakes or over a hearty brunch.
The Strategy behind the prolific profits
What many don’t know is that the Premier League is an extremely lean body in numbers. And it had never imagined such a future when it started in 1992. Furthermore, the EPL offices in London have one-tenth the strength that bodies like FIFA, NBA and NFL have on roll. And the body does not promote or merchandise itself. While NBA has 36 sponsors, the EPL has only 6 of its own.
EPL’s sole motive is to get bigger deals for the clubs it represents through TV & Commercial Revenue, Facility Fees and Merit Payment.
Instead, the EPL’s sole motive is to get bigger deals for the clubs it represents. Undoubtedly, this has panned out to perfection. After every season of the most exciting league in the world, clubs received a payment in following categories: TV & Commercial Revenue, Facility Fees and Merit Payment (league position).
The Big Six
At the end of the last season, each of the Premier league teams earned hefty amounts. While the “Big Six” raked in between £147m and £130m, mid to bottom tables took home around £120m. The rest teams made numbers of early £100s m. This proves the Premier League as richest among FIFA, EPL or UEFA.
The 20th on the table relegated team also took £96m on their way back to the EFL Championship.
Compare that to the FIFA money that each competing team got at the 2018 World Cup. Winners France bagged $38 million while runners up Croatia took $28 million. The other teams received at least $8 million and an additional $1.5 million to cover preparation costs. Undoubtedly, playing in the Premier League is more lucrative that playing in the biggest football tournament on the planet. But, it’s all down to the brilliant EPL strategy and the man that chalked it out.
Richest Football League! The Man behind the terrific strategy
The Premier League is in its essence a media-rights-selling organisation. Moreso, what is does is provide 20 clubs with a platform, referees and a ball. For instance, the body acts as the catalyst in the Premier Leagues global expansion and domination in football. And the man behind it is its former chief executive Richard Scudamore.
Former Chief Executive Richard Scudamore made the Premier League a media-rights-selling organisation providing 20 clubs with the best potential revenue from across the globe.
When Scudamore came to the body in 1999, the game was already changing. Premier League was witnessing rapidly increasing fortunes and following at home. They had a new UK TV rights deal with Sky in place for £670m. But the international revenues were underwhelming at £98m sold in 1997. And that’s where Scudamore saw potential.
Scudamore’s strategy
Scudamore regarded the amount as borderline disrespectful and he set about rectifying that. Therefore, demanded financial respect for the world’s most exciting sporting league. Thereafter, he overhauled the way EPL sold overseas rights. Furthermore, from auctioning packages for a fixed fee, Scudamore turned to open up the rights and sell them in individually in different geographies.
Scudamore’s strategy amounted to an unprecedented 687% increase in overseas broadcast revenue.
Cutting out the middlemen, he became the chief negotiator for the Premier League. He was at the forefront of EPL’s face-to-face dealings with TV companies globally. Consequently, his strategy paid off and EPL’s rights were sold for an 83% higher amount in 2004 (From £178m to £325m). In 2007, it was £625m, and in 2010 EPL fetched £1.4bn from overseas TV rights.
Too Big to Fail – The EPL today
However, Richard Scudamore retired from his office with a £5m “golden handshake”. But before he went, he made EPL the global behemoth that’s incomparably richest, more than FIFA and UEFA. Massive followings in India, Thailand, Singapore and the Middle East can be amounted to his strategy.
Thereafter, he built an atmosphere of efficiency and culture of lean operations where EPL contracts are kept up to date, partners are kept happy, and the league’s extensive charity operations are handled from the simple office.
But while his moving out, a new era looms over the English Premier League’s fortunes. And its one of uncertainty. Currently, multiple factors are weighing in currently. From Brexit, changes in broadcasting technology, to shifts in the consumption trends, and growing competition from rivals like Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A catching up.
Consequently, with Scudamore passing on the baton, its up to the new Chief Richard Masters to carry on the EPL’s global domination.
