Robert Dempsey, our super IADT Digital Marketing intern, is putting his hand to blog writing again. I think we are seeing a trend for the subjects he is passionate about! Sport being one! Read on to find out what he thinks about marketing in Premier League.
Audience growth
The premier league broadcasts to just under 200 countries globally and has a viewership of 4.7 billion people. Various marketing campaigns have allowed the Premier League to reach new audiences in different parts of the world such as America, Asia and Africa.
The Premier league has set up various competitions to increase viewership and brand deals. These include “The Summer Series” in USA. The competition has 4 teams in it and has 6 matches across America.
Revenue growth
The impact of various digital marketing strategies has leveraged all 20 teams to negotiate better deals to increase PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules). This can allow teams to spend more within the Premier League rules. In the past year alone, Manchester City have a deal worth over £70 million with Etihad Airways. This sponsorship is closely linked to the ownership group who owns Man City. (i.e. the Abu Dhabi United Group and the lead figure is Sheikh Mansour).
Currently there is a long and interesting legal case between the Premier
League and Man City. It is over inflation of sponsorship between clubs and companies. Apparently, they can influence higher deals over market value. When we look at Chelsea and Infinite Athlete come together in the season of 2023/2024, the value was £50 million. Clubs suspect a breach of rules between the Abu Dhabi Group and Man City. Not for us to comment though!
Increasing value of TV rights deals
The TV channels that broadcast matches in Ireland and the UK is Sky Sports and TNT Sport, formally known as BT Sports. The new 4-year deal from the season of 2025/26 till 2028/29 is estimated to bring in well over £6.7bn in revenue across the 4-year period.
Sky Sports will retain its flagship name “Super Sunday” live games. Sky Sports will televise 70% of games totalling 215 games per season. The remaining 30% being shown live by TNT Sports, with 52 games per season. The main time of each game being shown live at 12.30pm each Saturday.
Both companies are allowed to access exclusive areas to create content for their social media, such as Instagram reels.
Increasing players valuations for each club- driving shirt sales
The impact of signing a new player isn’t just about adding a new player into the team. It is increasing shirt sales and increasing reach on social media platforms. For example, exclusive interviews and footage from training sessions.
When Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Manchester United in 2021 for £12.85m from Juventus, they instantly earned that money back. Within a few days of sales, his trademark number 7 (CR7). skyrocketed.
At the time of the signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United and Adidas had a deal worth £750 million from 2014-2024. When Ronaldo signed for Man United, Adidas increased its brand awareness with one of the biggest names in the world. Brand visibility increased rapidly.