Liverpool Eyeing Bigger Slice Of Overseas Pie, Mulling Over ‘Breakaway TV Deal’

Alan Duffy

12th, October 2011

6 Comments

By Alan Duffy


Liverpool big cheese Ian Ayre has set the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons by stating that the bigger Premier League clubs should be able to negotiate their own overseas TV deals.

Currently, all 20 top tier clubs share the overseas revenues, but according to Ayre, the bigger clubs deserve a larger slice of the pie.

“The other European clubs just don’t follow that model. They will create much greater revenue to go and buy the best players. It is a debate that needs to be had on a more collaborative basis between the clubs of the Premier League.

“If you go further afield then it is a myth that the Premier League is huge. It is popular but the clubs that are really popular are the clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal.

“We saw that in Malaysia in the summer. We were 5,000 miles from home and we had 80,000 fans watching us play and 40,000 turning up to watch a training session.”

Ayre does, however, believe that the current Premier League model of shared revenue should be continued within the UK. Still, his ideas in relation to overseas broadcasting will surely only help to create an even bigger gap between the Premier League haves and have-nots. Indeed, look at La Liga, where Real Madrid and Barcelona, who are able to negotiate their own TV deals, have created an unhealthy duopoly situation in Spain.

Here’s a rather pertinent quote from none other than the great Bill Shankly to end on – “The socialism I believe in is everybody working for the same goal and everybody having a share in the rewards.”

Posted in Liverpool, Media

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6 Comments

  1. Conor says:

    Greedy bastards. This would be poisonous for the game if it went through. Loving the Shanks quote at the end by the way very apt. I can’t believe he’s stupid enough to point to the Spanish model as a model to emulate when the 18 other clubs in Spain are up in arms over the current TV arrangement. Praying this doesn’t go through.

  2. k9 says:

    unfortunately this will happen, 1 step closer to a european super league

  3. Tom says:

    What a dick move.

    Shared revenue means a better league, I would much rather have a better overall standard of football than a handful of super teams, look at Spanish football it may as well just be Scottish football nowadays, there’s only ever going to be two teams in it. How dull and predictable. Also there seem to be an awful lot of prem teams already more than capable of outspending virtually anyone else, perhaps if Liverpool didn’t piss away £35 million on an extra from Rise of The Planet of the Apes they wouldn’t need to concoct these Machiavellian schemes.

    Ultimately, just like the bankers who prey on the workforce they rob, the ‘big’ teams in English football actually depend entirely on those they feel are beneath them. Without the workforce there is no commodity to trade, without the rest of the league there is no season to be played. The shared revenue is not intentional restriction of the ‘big’ teams it is the compensation owed to all the other teams to allow the ‘big’ teams to operate in the way they so dearly desire.

    I would not welcome a European Super League but if one were ever to be created it would be interesting to see how quickly this much coveted international following would disappear for whichever teams routinely finish bottom. If it were set up and then run along the same guidelines that Spanish football currently adheres to then I would imagine that it might just divide the world’s fickle fanbase between the two richest and and therefore most successful teams, meaning that those in the league were then stuck being blackpools rather than liverpools.

    For the record I think we have (premier league) the best system going. We live in a fiercly capitalist world and the nature of running a football team currently reflects that

  4. Montesquieu says:

    I don’t reckon he’s heard of the recession has he.

    Who wants to buy tv rights to a club that hasn’t won anything in almost six years. I’ll warn all of you not to make predictions about Liverpool’s resurgence. Until it happens, I think we can all be certain that Chelsea and Manchester will remain on top for the foreseeable future. Manchester City as well, although I don’t see it with Mancini in charge.

    Not to forget Arsenal of course, which may return to the top spot if something major happens, something being Wenger getting the sack. His system seems to have been great in the Premier League of a different eon, however the team has struggled since 2004.

    As for the deal itself, it’s good for Liverpool that they seem to be trying to change their fortunes around but twenty years (if not longer) of bad financial management has made the team relatively uncompetitive both on the market and in the league itself.

    However twenty years of bad financial decisions or lack thereof of good ones has done nothing to bridge the gap for a potential global brand like Liverpool to current global brands like United or Arse.

    What do I know though, football is sadly becoming just a fad for some prawn sandwich eating tosser, while real supporters are staying home to watch the game since it costs a whole day’s worth of wages (if not more) to grab a ticket and transportation. Most can’t afford to waste that much money, when the majority of us have families to worry about; especially in these trying times.

  5. Kate says:

    IMO, this move has something to do with the lawsuit of Hicks and Gillett. H&G are claiming damages from the sale which resulted in them losing money. Their view is that with the new TV deal coming up, they would have been able to pay back the debts and as a result, maintained control of the club.

    I believe this move from Ian Ayre is an public attempt to discredit their argument. By showing that no one is willing to agree to a deal that would only benefit the bigger clubs, Ayre is showing that there was no way the TV income would have improved the clubs financial position, thus making the call for damages and lost revenue redundant.

    Hopefully my opinion makes sense, and hopefully it is true because even as a Liverpool fan, part of the beauty of the PL is the fact that the finances are relatively even when compared to Spain and Italy, which results in a more even league and better football

  6. Andy Carroll's Ponytail says:

    I agree with Kate^. Even as a Pool fan and desperate to see us back at the top, I won’t sacrifice the sanctity of a level playing field created by shared revenue. Let’s get back to getting that new stadium first.

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