Once dubbed “the people’s game,” football, soccer, or whatever else you want to call it, has transformed into a billion-dollar business.
Broadcasting deals in particular have injected new money into the industry. In 2012, Sky and BT secured a record deal with the English Premier League worth £3bn over 3 years. That equates to at least an extra £14m/ year for all 20 clubs within the league. Similarly, in 2013, BT Sport announced a £897m deal over 3 years for exclusive broadcast rights for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
The impact of broadcasting deals on player transfer fees is evident. In just the last 120 years, transfer fees have risen from £100 to a staggering £86 million (€100 million). To demonstrate just how drastic the change has been, Firmex has compiled the following timeline:
