What drives sports TV rights? A comparative analysis of their evolution in English and French men’s football first divisions, 1980–2020

ABSTRACT

This article consists of a comparative analysis of the evolution of TV rights in English Premier League and French Ligue 1 men’s football over the 1980–2020 period. It aims to understand the differences in this evolution in both leagues. It first reviews the literature on football TV rights in Europe then the history of pay-TV football in the UK and France. A framework to be tested is then suggested with the identification of 16 independent variables. Correlations are calculated between these variables and TV rights in England and France to test whether the suggested framework is supported by empirical evidence. These correlations enable to explain why TV rights for the Premier League have become much larger than for the Ligue 1. They show that the main driver for TV rights is the main domestic broadcaster’s turnover. They also enable the identification of a virtuous circle for the Premier League.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. ‘Premier League Rights: Sky’.

2. Harris, ‘Premier League May Earn’.

3. ‘Premier League Rights: Amazon’.

4. Biddiscombe, ‘Analysis: Has Amazon Scored’.

5. The Guardian, ‘Sky Netted a Sweet’.

6. Gratton and Solberg, Economics of Sports Broadcasting, 4–5.

7. Le Parisien, ‘Droits TV Ligue 1’; and Letennier, ‘Dossier Maxifoot’.

8. Smith et al., ‘Regulation of Sports Broadcasting’.

9. Population and GDP per capita indicate more similarities between England and France than between these countries and Germany (82.7 million inhabitants and $44,769), Italy (60.5 million inhabitants and $31,996) and Spain (46.5 million inhabitants and $28,358). This justifies why a comparison between the English Premier League and the French Ligue 1 has been favoured rather than with the German Bundesliga, the Italian Serie A and the Spanish La Liga.

10. Hamil and Walters, ‘Financial Performance English Football’; and Walters and Hamil, ‘Contests Power and Influence’.

11. Dermit-Richard et al., ‘French DNCG versus UEFA’; and Scelles et al., ‘Insolvency in French Soccer’.

12. Cave and Crandall, ‘Sports Rights Broadcast Industry’.

13. Boyle and Haynes, ‘New Media Sport’.

14. Boyle and Haynes, Football New Media Age.

15. Jeanrenaud and Késenne, Economics of Sport Media.

16. Gratton and Solberg, Economics of Sports Broadcasting.

17. Andreff and Bourg, ‘Rights Competition European Football’.

18. Szymanski, ‘Why Have Premium Sports’.

19. Evens et al., Political Economy Sports Rights.

20. Smith et al., ‘Regulation of Sports Broadcasting’.

21. Smith et al., ‘The Next Big Match’.

22. Di Betta and Amenta, ‘Media as Policy Instrument’.

23. Boyle, ‘Battle for Control?’.

24. Butler and Massey, ‘Has Competition Benefitted Consumers?’.

25. Feuillet et al., ‘A Winner’s Curse’.

26. Haynes, BBC Sport Black White.

27. Rowe, Global Media Sport.

28. Evens et al., Political Economy Sports Rights.

29. Kuhn, Politics Media in Britain.

30. Hutchins and Rowe, Beyond Television Sport.

31. Bourg, ‘Relations Économiques Sport Télévision’, 213.

32. Bourg and Gouguet, Économie du sport.

33. Haynes, BBC Sport Black White.

34. Haynes, ‘Pageant Sound and Vision’.

35. Constant, ‘Canal+ Coup d’Envoi’.

36. Barnett, Games and Sets.

37. Conn, The Beautiful Game?.

38. Horrie, Premiership: Lifting the Lid’.

39. Boyle and Haynes, Football New Media Age.

40. Toft, ‘TV Rights Sports Events’, 8.

41. Boyle and Haynes, Football New Media Age.

42. Buraimo and Simmons, ‘Uncertainty or Star Quality?’.

43. Gratton and Solberg, Economics of Sports Broadcasting.

44. Solberg and Mehus, ‘Challenge of Attracting Fans?’.

45. Andreff and Scelles, ‘Walter C. Neale’; and Scelles et al., ‘Competitive Balance versus Intensity’.

46. Scelles, ‘Quality and Competitive Balance?’; Scelles et al., ‘Do All Sporting Prizes’.

47. Buraimo and Simmons, ‘Uncertainty or Star Quality?’.

48. Boyle and Haynes, ‘New Media Sport’.

49. Gratton et al., Global Economics of Sport.

50. Bolotny and Bourg, ‘Demand for Media Coverage’; and Gratton and Solberg, Economics of Sports Broadcasting.

51. Conn, ‘Rich Clubs Forced’.

52. Gratton and Solberg, Economics of Sports Broadcasting; The Swiss Ramble, ‘Premier League TV Deal’; and Vrooman, ‘Theory of Beautiful Game’.

53. LNF/LFP, ‘Rapport Annuel’.

54. http://fxtop.com.

55. Davies, ‘Future Funding of BBC’; Sky, ‘Annual Reports’; Quélin, ‘CANAL + et MONOPOLE’; Canal+, ‘Rapports Annuels’; and Infogreffe, ‘Groupe Canal +’.

56. http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk.

57. http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/index.html.

58. Andreff, Mondialisation économique du sport; Gratton et al., Global Economics of Sport; Gratton and Solberg, Economics of Sports Broadcasting; and Pautot, Sport et Nationalités.

59. Constant, ‘Canal+ Coup d’Envoi’.

60. Autorité de la Concurrence, ‘Décision n° 14-MC-01ʹ.

61. Autorité de la Concurrence, ‘Décision n° 14-MC-01ʹ, 25.

62. Taylor, ‘The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster’.

63. Gratton and Solberg, Economics of Sports Broadcasting, 5.

64. ‘Droits TV Canal+’.