Football League Pursues Extended Rights for Live Broadcasts During Matches
Rewritten Article:
Get ready for an up-close look at your favorite soccer stars, as premier league clubs are being asked to give broadcasters the green light to film inside their dressing rooms and conduct in-game player interviews starting next season.
The English Premier League has struck a new domestic TV deal worth a whopping £6.7 billion over four years, and broadcasters Sky Sports and TNT Sports want more bang for their buck. The league is on board with their demands, seeking an agreement with the clubs before its annual general meeting next month.
Some clubs are open to the idea, while others are less enthused. In particular, the traditional "big six" – Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, and Manchester City – are balking at the proposal. Suspicions abound that these powerhouse clubs are resisting in an attempt to hoard behind-the-scenes content for their own channels, further enhancing their commercial appeal. The league needs 14 clubs to take its side to make a contractual commitment to the broadcasters.
Under the league's proposals, each club would be required to allow dressing-room access, a half-time player interview, or an interview with a substituted player at two home games. While broadcasters are most interested in dressing-room footage, these other options have been included as a compromise to win over the more reluctant clubs.
The league has issued a warning to the clubs, stating that the value of future TV rights deals is likely to decline if broadcasters are not offered more access. Despite the increased worth of the league's TV deal for the next cycle, this has only been achieved by offering 70 more live games each season. The price per game paid by Sky and TNT has decreased significantly from £10.19 million between 2016-2017 and 2018-2019 to £6.2 million over the next four-year cycle.
Overseas TV rights are continuing to rise, with the league's contracts between this year and 2028 worth £6.5 billion, but foreign rights holders are also clamoring for more. The value of access to the inner workings of premier league clubs is at an all-time high, and broadcasters are determined to capitalize on the excitement.
Several clubs, including Brentford, Brighton, Wolves, and Nottingham Forest, have already run trials with cameras in their dressing rooms over the past couple of years. The premier league champions are obligated to allow crews to film their celebrations in the dressing room after winning the trophy. Bournemouth was the first club to offer a substituted player interview, with Marcus Tavernier speaking to Sky Sports after being taken off in their 3-1 win over Southampton in October last year. An audio clip of Thomas Frank giving a pre-match team talk before Brentford hosted Arsenal in January went viral after being posted by TNT Sports.
Next season, camera crews will be allowed onto the pitch to film goal celebrations, with camera operatives using so-called Steadicams being allowed to record players' reactions to take viewers closer to the action. The move is intended to enhance viewer engagement, but some clubs may view these changes as intrusive or burdensome[1][2][3].
- The English Premier League is seeking agreement from clubs, including Bournemouth, to allow broadcasters access to their dressing rooms and conduct player interviews, hoping to persuade 14 clubs to commit contractually.
- The traditional "big six" clubs, such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, and Manchester City, are resisting this proposal, potentially to hoard behind-the-scenes content for their own channels.
- As part of the league's proposals, clubs would be required to allow dressing-room access, a half-time player interview, or an interview with a substituted player at two home games, with broadcasters most interested in dressing-room footage.
- Then next season, viewers might get an up-close look at players' reactions during goal celebrations as camera crews will be allowed onto the pitch using Steadicams.
- These changes aim to boost viewer engagement, but some clubs might perceive them as intrusive or burdensome, especially in the context of European leagues and the Premier League's increased sports-analysis demands.
