The staff of BBC Radio 5 Live expected to turn up at Anfield on Wednesday night as normal. There had been no fuss over their live broadcasting of any other Champions League match up until that point this season. Their request to cover the clash between Liverpool and Spartak Moscow must have been thought of as a mere formality. Instead, it’s rejection prompted quite the debate.
Indeed, Liverpool’s refusal to permit the BBC to broadcast live on the radio from Anfield on Wednesday night set a compelling, and somewhat concerning, precedent. The Reds chose to restrict audio commentary of the match to their official website, opting to bolster the service offered to their own fans and paying subscribers.
That last point is most pertinent. It’s widely believed that Premier League clubs are looking to widen their own offerings as media brands in their own right. At present, TV broadcast rights for the Premier League are sold centrally. Richard Scudamore acts as the salesman for all 20 member clubs, selling the product of England’s top flight around the world. That could change, though.
The Premier League’s biggest clubs are already pressing hard for a bigger slice of the pie. They very nearly got it earlier this season, with the division’s top six’s proposing that revenue from the international broadcast rights be distributed on “merit.” In essence, that would mean those who finish higher up the table receive an even larger share. And those who finish higher up the table tends to be bigger and richer as it is.
That proposal was quashed and so those six clubs might not be looking for alternative ways to exercise their own greediness. The likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United must look at the distribution of TV money in Spain with envy. That’s the kind of arrangement they want for themselves, but they might be forced to take drastic action to force it through.
Liverpool’s decision to take radio rights in house could lead to a similar decision made over TV rights. There is nothing to stop the Premier League elite from, at the end of the broadcast contracts currently in place, selling directly to channels like BT Sport and Sky Sports, as well as broadcasters around the world. That way, they could maximise their own might as global sporting brands.
Of course, this would raise the drawbridge for everyone else. The Premier League thrives on the basis of its strength as a product. It’s through the competitiveness of the division that English football appeals across the globe. And that competitiveness comes from the fair distribution of revenue among its 20 member clubs. Take that away, the competitiveness goes with it and subsequently the Premier League loses its appeal as a product.
This could prove counter productive for England’s biggest and best clubs. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Spurs might argue that the Premier League is holding them back, edging them closer and closer to the establishment of a long-mooted European super league, but the counter-argument highlights how the Premier League’s overall parity makes the top six even more attractive as brands.
Greed threatens to tear the Premier League in two opposing directions. In isolation, Liverpool’s call top refuse BBC 5 live access to Wednesday’s Champions League match at Anfield mattered little, even if it inconvenienced many of their own supporters and interested neutrals. But as part of a growing movement, it was gravely concerning. The English game is quickly approaching a juncture in its modern history. It’s a juncture that will be televised, perhaps on its clubs’ own TV stations.
