A report claims that West Ham along with Everton, Man City, Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool are backing a change the way overseas Premier League TV money is split at a Premier League meeting in London today.
Premier League boss Richard Scudamore has been lobbying clubs over the distribution of the next round of multi-billion pound overseas TV rights before a new deal is done with foreign broadcasters.
Currently, the £3bn overseas deal for 2016-19 generates £39m a year for each club but the Hammers with the seven other clubs want that to change. Scudamore has drafted a new plan which would see 35% of the overseas revenue divided according to final league positions but predictably it has been met with resistance.
However, with the approval of 14 clubs needed to make such a change to the system the clubs who back the change need another six clubs to back them. The Premier League is keen to reach a quick compromise with all twenty clubs before going into domestic rights negotiations.
A senior source close to the club told Claret and Hugh: “We do not think they’ll get the numbers, but as ever the top 6 clubs are threatening to go their own way if they don’t.”
The table above shows what the proposed change would do if it were applied to this seasons TV money with the top ten gaining and the bottom ten losing out.
Absolute madness. This only works for the ever greedy top six. It will make the league less competitive and means we will never be the top team that Gold and Sullivan keep saying that we are going to be.
I would oppose this if I didn’t support anti PL club, on the grounds that it will will take even further the existing top clubs’ dominance which imo will ruin top flight football in this country eventually.
From a WH point of view I cannot see why our owners would back it, unless my simple mind is missing something only obvious to the enormous business brains of G&S. Or is it that they are still kidding themselves that we are about to break into the Big League.
This isn’t a ‘kick the owners’ attack. It is not ‘moaning’ & the last time I looked my pants were dry. If people agree with the owners on this, or just think I am missing something please just put a sensible argument forward & start a proper discussion for once.
Leave it as it is.
They are backing it because doing so sends out a message that we’re ambitious – that we’re happy to reach for the Top 10 and benefit, rather than languish in the bottom half and lose out. They know Scudamore won’t get the 14 required to agree it, so he’s playing a sensible game here.
In reality, we all know that if it goes ahead, it’ll mean even greater division between the have’s and the have not’s, but I for one think that incentivising clubs to keep going until the end of the season for financial gain is a good thing.