By Andrew Warshaw at the ISEM Conference in London
October 12 – One of the UK’s most respected sports business gurus has poured scorn on Liverpool’s bid to lead a Premier League challenge for overseas television rights to be sold individually, branding the idea as a “red herring” and saying it would never get off the ground.
Ian Ayre, Liverpool’s managing director, was quoted today as saying top-flight English clubs should be able to do their own deals abroad or risk being left behind by their European rivals.
Ayre fears English sides will be seriously compromised if revenues continue to be shared equally between the 20 top-flight clubs.
But Dan Jones, lead partner for Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, says Ayre is going down completely the wrong path and would never gain sufficient backing.
“I’m very surprised by his comments,” Jones told insideworldfootball at the International Sports Event Management Conference here today.
“The clubs have always consistently come out in support of the existing model.
“You need 14 out of the 20 clubs to vote for something like this.
“I cannot see how you would get that many to vote in favour.
“I don’t think it will go anywhere.
“It’s a red herring, a non-runner.”
Ayre believes the Premier League are at disadvantage against the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid who negotiate their own deals in Spain.
He says the bubble will burst if the equal rights deal is maintained abroad, with players being lured towards Spain.
But Jones disagreed.
“I don’t think it will burst,” he said.
“The Premier League is consistently moving ahead of the Spanish League.”
“The more correct way is that Barcelona and Real Madrid move their model towards the English model rather than the other way round.
“They are only two teams and can’t just hoover up all the players in the world.”
“What’s more likely to happen in my opinion is that the two of them will come under pressure to share their revenues more equitably with their competitors.”
The Premier League’s foreign rights deal, worth £1.4 billion ($2.2 billion/€1.6 billion), expires in 2013.
Ayre says that most fans of English football overseas want to watch an elite few clubs and that the biggest attract the most viewers.
He argues it is not fair that however many times a big club appears on TV, all the others stand to gain just as much money.
But Jones said that was not the point.
“You have got to recognise that if a big club is playing, it needs someone to play against,” he said.
“The Premier League has fought very hard and with good reason for the right to sell collectively.”
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