Finance guru: Newcastle United ready to ‘cut out the middle man’ as deal agreed
Newcastle United have signalled their intent to “cut out the middle man” and stream their own content where possible.
That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Magpies’ plans to expand their media revenue.
The club has their own video platform, NUFC TV, which features highlights, interviews and behind-the-scenes content.
But annual commercial revenue, which at the last count was £20million, stagnated under Mike Ashley and the new Saudi owners are desperate to increase income to allow them to spend under the terms of Financial Fair Play.
As announced on Monday (17 October), PIF have enlisted Peter Silverstone as their chief commercial officer to help them do exactly that.
The former Arsenal business guru left his post at football media giants OneFootball to complete the move to St James’ Park.
Plumley suggests that his expertise can help Newcastle take their media offering to the next level.
“They can’t sell the rights to their own games yet but they can look to engage with fans across the world in a different way,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“You can stream things that you do have access to like training ground content and friendlies. They aren’t under the scope of the traditional broadcast arrangement.
“They can monetise that in a number of ways now and clubs are starting to see this growth potential based on their digital footprint.
“It’s the direct-to-fans nature that is very important because you’re cutting out the middle man.“
In other news, Premier League respond to £7.5m Newcastle United sponsor controversy.