Finance guru ‘amazed’ by Sunderland snub amid fury at £20m deal
The likes of Sunderland will not see an upswing in media revenue because the BBC does not consider the EFL an attractive commercial proposition.
That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the BBC’s recent acquisition of three years of Champions League highlight rights from the 2024-25 season.
The Daily Mail reported last Friday (8 July) that the EFL are furious that the BBC spent £20million on the package after they turned down the opportunity to show EFL highlights for just £500,000 per season.
Sunderland trousered £5.4m in media revenue for 2020-21, the last financial year on record.
That figure will likely rise when they release their figures for 2021-22 and again in 2022-23 following their promotion to the Championship.
But Plumley admitted he was “amazed” at the BBC’s decision not to further boost their coffers by bringing EFL highlights, which are currently broadcast on Quest, back to mainstream terrestrial television.
“I think this is really interesting,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“I’m amazed that the BBC have paid £20m as a starting point. That’s a lot by their standards. But if we try to work out why, it revolves around the fact that people want to watch the biggest clubs, and I hate saying that.
“I also would perceive that £500,000 to be quite good value for money. But they have obviously looked at what’s gone previously. It didn’t quite hit the heights with ITV. It has been well received on Quest, but it has moved around a lot.
“It’s just not as commercially viable a product. I think the Championship itself is a viable product, but Sky have got a lot of rights there so the BBC probably feel they can’t take them on in that regard.
“With the Champions League, there’s no Sky involved. The BBC have looked at those games and seen BT pick up those games but they knew they would be the only provider of terrestrial highlights.
“That could be quite powerful and a lot of people might watch. That is the play they are making.”
In other news, expert suggests Jack Clarke may have joined Sunderland from Tottenham for “nothing” amid “huge” claim.