Blind Hammer looks at possible potential increase in earnings for West Ham.
A common complaint about those clubs competing in the Europa League, and Europa Conference in particular, is the relative paucity of prize and TV money compared to clubs involved in the Champions League.
This is compounded by the lower profile of these games attracting less interest from TV and Radio Broadcasters. Some of West Ham’s games in the early rounds of the Conference League last year attracted no interest at all from Radio Broadcasters and limited interest from TV Companies as well.
However, West Ham manage to continue f qualifying for either the Europa League or Conference it seems likely that the terms of the new TV deal just announced by the Premier League will deliver a hidden cash windfall.
The Premier League will increase the matches covered in the next live television broadcast deal from 200 to around 270 in its next rights cycle. The Saturday afternoon 3pm blackout will remain in place but crucially every 2pm Sunday kick-off will be televised.
This means that all clubs competing in Europe on a Thursday are guaranteed to have their Sunday 2pm fixtures televised, presumably attracting a higher-than-normal rate of TV appearances, and presumably payment for the televising of these matches.
The current deal does not expire until the end of the 2024-25 season, so sadly these cash benefits will not be available to West Ham this season or even next. However, if the club can continue their successful European involvement it is possible that even qualifying for the Europa Conference will have enhanced benefits.
Apart from the direct cash benefits there are hidden advantages of course for enhanced TV exposure. Over time the regular live appearance of the team in front of a global audience of millions can only help in growing the brand of our club.
Other aspects of the deal will not benefit individual clubs but will increase general live exposure from which, again all teams should benefit, including West Ham.
In the new deal, five midweek rounds will be available instead of the current four, while the Saturday 12:30pm and 5:30pm and the Sunday 2pm and 4.30pm stay in place, along with the 8pm Monday or Friday slot.
We can only hope that a bit of Moyes magic helps West Ham reap the benefits.
David Griffith