Finance guru issues ‘exclusive’ Liverpool claim amid £1.2bn talks
Liverpool could earn slightly more from the next Champions League rights cycle – but hopes of a big upswing are wide of the mark.
That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the broadcast auction for Uefa’s flagship competition.
Sport Business reported last Wednesday (25 May) that Team Marketing will open the bidding process for the UK rights on Tuesday (31 May).
The current deal with BT Sport is worth £400million per season over the course of its three-season lifespan.
Liverpool fell short against Real Madrid in the Champions League final last Saturday (28 May) but have been one of the competition’s most successful clubs in recent years.
And Plumley predicts that they could be in line for a greater cut of Uefa cash if an improved TV deal is agreed.
“The current UK deal is worth £1.2billion over three seasons,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“Are BT prepared to pay more again? It’s difficult to say because they have been reluctant to buy more Premier League games in the last few cycles.
“They have exclusivity on the Champions League rights. If they feel that is their flagship, they might feel pressure to match that fee if not stretch it a bit further.
“The flip side is we don’t know if anyone else is prepared to commit. Sky probably feel they don’t need it, and it’s very unlikely they will go terrestrial.
“You also have to factor in the new format. I don’t think we’ll see a huge shift, but there might be small gains.”
The Champions League will welcome four new teams under a new format from the 2024-25 campaign.
England currently lead Uefa’s coefficient ranking system, meaning Liverpool will likely take a bigger share of future broadcast revenues.
In other news, ex-Fifa official calls for investigation after “terrible” Liverpool twist.