The Premier League could receive a £750m annual revenue boost by centralising perimeter advertising sales and increasing the number of top-level commercial partners associated with the world’s most lucrative domestic football competition, its clubs have been told.
Sky News has learnt that the 20 top-flight sides were informed at a shareholder meeting this week that the Premier League had begun exploring an overhaul of some of its commercial rights activities that would mirror a structure used by a number of elite US sports.
One source familiar with the presentation made by Premier League executives said its initial modelling projected that selling 60% of pitch-side advertising on a centralised basis, and expanding its roster of top-tier partners from seven to 10, could generate an additional £750m of revenue each year.
The enormous incremental sum underlines the enduring commercial appeal of English men’s top-flight football at a time when a financial redistribution agreement with the English Football League remains far from being finalised.
Sources said the presentation was made on an exploratory basis, and that there were as yet no firm plans to proceed with such a revamp.
The Premier League’s current syndicate of top-tier partners includes Barclays, Microsoft, EA and Guinness.
It also has licensing deals with several companies, including Topps, Football Manager and Sorare.
One club executive at the meeting is said to have raised concerns that an expansion in the number of Premier League partners would raise the likelihood of conflicts with individual clubs’ commercial deals.
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The shareholder summit was notable for the attendance of David Kogan and Richard Monks, respectively the chairman and chief executive of the Independent Football Regulator, who outlined plans for its inaugural State of the Game report to be prepared during the coming months.
The Premier League declined to comment.