Finance guru: Liverpool want ‘huge’ problem ‘shut down ASAP’ amid latest from Premier League HQ
Liverpool will be keen to stamp out broadcast piracy in Asia alongside the Premier League in order to fully benefit from their substantial fanbase in the region.
That is the view of finance expert Dr Dan Plumley, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about how piracy in Asia is financially affecting the Reds.
Liverpool boast one of the largest fan followings in Asia compared to the rest of the Premier League and are therefore impacted directly by the increased piracy on the continent.
The Premier League have continued with their ‘Boot it out’ anti-piracy campaign in 2023, with broadcast channels, social media, websites and YouTube channels in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Thailand all set to feature content from the campaign.
The campaign is designed to raise awareness of the security risks of viewing Premier League football on illegal websites and devices.
Sources also revealed to Football Insider last Tuesday (27 December) that the Premier League is planning a massive crackdown on broadcast piracy in the Asia-Pacific region.
Plumley explained why the “huge” issue is particularly pertinent for clubs of Liverpool’s stature.
“It’s significant for the clubs and it’s an issue for the Premier League as well. but that then of course has a knock-on effect on the clubs,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider.
“If you look at a club like Liverpool in a region such as Asia, they command a substantial fan base in that area and from a club point of view you want to recoup the benefits from that fanbase.
“They’ll want to do that through traditional means such as broadcasting which then redistributes to the clubs rather than it be lost to piracy.
“So it’s certainly something clubs are aware of and while they don’t have direct control over that, they’ll definitely be on the side of the Premier League in terms of fighting that and they have been in the past.
“It’s still a huge issue and it’ll be costing Premier League clubs a lot of money. The clubs will be wanting to shut it down immediately.“
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