Sky and BT are paying less but the Premier League bubble has not burst

Broadcasters are saving under the latest TV rights deal but it does not look like the beginning of the end for the money feast

An assessment of the near-£4.5bn committed to Premier League clubs for live UK televising of their matches from 2019-22 can be assisted by adaptating a famous old quip: reports of football’s bubble bursting are greatly exaggerated.

True, this £4.464bn to 20 football clubs, on which Sky and BT Sport will aim to make a profit by charging supporters subscriptions, is approximately £500m less than the record £5.1bn the two broadcasters paid last time for the 2016-19 rights. But it does not look like the beginning of the end for the money feast of clubs, their owners, managers, players and agents, which they have been served up for 25 years by making supporters pay to watch football on television.

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