Since these events, the Champion’s League and the Euro Cup, are second only to the Olympics, it creates quite a boon for the European leagues. Lauded as being the richest football league in the world, the English Premier League, known as the EPL, had super results recently. The growth surge came largely from increasingly lucrative TV rights, especially outside the U.K. THR cites, “Deloitte forecast a further strengthening of the Bundesliga next season, noting a 50 percent jump in TV license fees thanks to a new lucrative deal with News Corp.’s Sky Deutschland.”
Although the EPL had the highest revenue growth out of all the Euro leagues with a 12 percent surge, the German Bundesliga still commanded a higher profit margin with earnings soaring 24 percent to a sizable $240 million. If the 2011 season is any indicator, there should be an expansion of television revenues in broadcasting games. The Hollywood Reporter (THR) writes, “The study, which looks at the 2010/11 season, again ranks England’s Premiere League as the richest on the planet, recording a 12 percent jump in revenue to $3.5 billion (£2.27 billion). And at the rate their players are getting paid, they need to soak every dollar they can.
When it comes to performance the EPL and Bundesliga are also carrying their weight on the pitch. where revenue for Premiere League rights more than doubled last season.”
Good performance from the Euro Cup should also boost overall revenues. Notwithstanding, England’s rank in European football, Spain still has the highest-paid athletes, notably FC Barcelona with the highest-paid athlete, Lionel Messi, as well as a roster with the highest paid team, bar none. Typically, national squads boost local club attendance and viewership overall. It just so happens that Europe’s second most watched event, the Champions League, featured Bayern Munich and Chelsea FC, from the Bundesliga and EPL, respectively.
The financial results are in for Europe’s top football leagues, and the 2010-11 season saw revenue growth from nearly all the leagues except for Spain’s La Liga. That’s compared to every professional sport.