English champions Chelsea received a record English Premier League (EPL) pay-out of more than £150 million ($190 million, 172 million euros) this season, nearly £60 million more than their predecessors Leicester, after new TV deals came into force.
The broadcast deals, including a bumper domestic contract, ensured generous end-of-season payments for all 20 Premier League clubs who shared a total of £2.4 billion.
Figures on the league’s website showed Leicester, who earned £93 million after their stunning title success last year, received £116 million this season, when they finished 12th.
Second-placed Tottenham Hotspur earned about £145 million — slightly less than Manchester City and Liverpool owing to the difference in their “facility fees”, awarded for appearances on TV.
Domestic rights to broadcast the Premier League were sold for £5.1 billion over three seasons, dwarfing the previous deal.
The league shares money from its central commercial deals and overseas broadcast rights on an equal basis, which means all 20 clubs got nearly £5 million each for the former and £39 million for the latter.
Even the three clubs who were relegated leave with large payments, including bottom-placed Sunderland who received just over £93m.
The Premier League also paid out nearly £220 million in “parachute payments” to eight teams relegated in recent seasons: Aston Villa, Cardiff, Fulham, Newcastle, Norwich, QPR, Reading and Wigan.
Villa, Newcastle and Norwich, who were relegated last year, got almost £41 million each, QPR £31 million and the other four more than £16 million.
Overall, the ratio between the highest and the lowest earning clubs in the Premier League was 1.61 to 1, the lowest among Europe’s top leagues.
The Premier League’s appeal to broadcasters at home and abroad has also permitted it to increase the money it distributes to grassroots facilities and projects.
In the last financial year, the league spent £200 million in this area, about seven percent of its total broadcast income. – AFP.
