Cash-strapped Sheffield Wednesday to be boosted by £100m windfall from new TV deal - report

Negotiations over the Premier League’s new TV deal look set to land lower league clubs like the Owls with more income
By Ross Gregory
Published 12th May 2021, 15:39 BST
Updated 12th May 2021, 16:40 BST
Sky Sports are a major player in the existing Premier League TV deal.Sky Sports are a major player in the existing Premier League TV deal.
Sky Sports are a major player in the existing Premier League TV deal.

The EFL is reportedly set to receive an extra £100million from the Premier League as part of a new TV deal – which could see Sheffield Wednesday receive a welcome financial boost.

The Premier League is hoping to sell its domestic television rights covering the three seasons between 2022 and 2025 to its existing partners – Sky, BT and Amazon – in a deal set to be worth roughly £5billion.

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It is a move that will see the existing £5bn broadcasting contract with the three companies rolled over.

BT Sport have some of the TV rights for Premier League games.BT Sport have some of the TV rights for Premier League games.
BT Sport have some of the TV rights for Premier League games.

The deal needed approval from the UK government, which could block a private sale of TV rights on competition grounds.

One of the stipulations the government demanded was that the Premier League provide more funding to lower division teams. The EFL has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with the Premier League having had to give clubs an advance on this season’s TV money to see them through the lockdown.

The Financial Times reports that the 20 member clubs in English football’s top division approved the deal on Wednesday. They are said to be keen to accept the government-brokered compromise as the new media contract guarantees TV income over the coming years, at a time when European broadcasters are reining in spending on sports rights.

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The deal will see an extra £100m given to EFL clubs, on top of the £140m “solidarity payments” they receive each season.

It would be a huge boost for the Owls, who will see their revenues plummet even further after their heartbreaking relegation from the Championship into League One.

Cash-strapped Wednesday will be hoping to bounce back at the first attempt, but face a tough rebuilding job of their squad.

The decision by the Premier League marks a move away from previous tactics of auctioning the TV rights to the highest bidder, which has helped to inflate the price.

Recent TV deals in Italy and Germany have resulted in reduced money, prompting the Premier League to look at ways of protecting the value of their TV deal.

Related topics:Premier LeagueEFL