Following today’s news (Monday 19 April) that 12 European soccer clubs plan to form a breakaway Super League;

Conrad Wiacek, Head of Sport Analysis at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on the state of the media rights market:

“The Super League proposal, led by 12 European clubs, is a direct challenge to UEFA club competitions, with the owners of the 12 clubs looking to consolidate power within a close-league format – much like the US leagues such as the NFL and NBA. With a number of these clubs having US owners, it is perhaps no surprise that the format of the proposed Super League resembles the US market, with the NFL’s ten-year $100bn TV contract now an obvious target for replication.

“With DAZN* looking to pay $3.5bn for the first set of media rights, is good news for the teams involved, this will be a disaster for the English Premier League, which is due to go to market with its new media rights tender in the months ahead – and with its current multi-billion-dollar deal is expiring at the end of the 2021/22, no less.

“With six of its top clubs contemplating potentially joining the Super League, the collective bargaining position of the English Premier League will be severely weakened, leading to a cratering of the value of media rights for the Premier League, which currently generate in excess of £5bn domestically.

“Much like UEFA, the English Premier League will be looking for clarity from the six clubs threatening to break away, ahead of its next rights cycle – so as not to undermine the value of its competition.”

* DAZN has subsequently denied any interest or involvement in entering into discussions regarding the establishment of a Super League.