European broadcasters in five countries can expect to see revenues of €8.2 billion as fans return to stadiums for the 2021/22 season.
Analysts at Digital TV Research predict the same broadcasters will pay €6.8 billion for the broadcast rights.
According to the research, the UK leads the revenue charts by some distance, with €2.95 billion expected from screening live matches from the English Premier League and Champions League in the 2021/22 season. The analysts have modelled the figure on pre-pandemic broadcasts, when not all matches in the Premier League were broadcast.
Equivalent revenues in Spain will be some way behind the UK at €1.89 billion. Germany, with the largest population of the five countries covered, will generate revenues similar to Spain.
The data does not include revenues from commercial premises such as bars broadcasting games (5-15 per cent of total revenues), highlights or magazine programs or from overseas sales.
Broadcasters’ revenues fell by just over €5 billion during the 2019/20 season as the pandemic hit hardest, with some broadcasters deferring payments.