Premier League Clubs Invest in Their Own Media Platforms

The digital era transforms all the spheres of people’s lives — and football is not an exception. So, the clubs of the English Premier League have long gone beyond traditional revenue from broadcasting and sponsorship. Currently, they are opening new fields — investing in media. Thus, clubs expand opportunities for interaction with fans by owning and controlling social channels, social media networks, streaming services, content hubs, and blogs. All this, in turn, brings them earnings that now exceed £ 1,000. According to Greenfly research, Clubs now manage sophisticated social ecosystems — from in-house content studios to streaming apps. This article will discuss the effects that Premier League clubs experience from such activities and what to expect in the future.

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Why Premier League Clubs Develop Their Media

The first, most evident reason, as mentioned above, is to improve interaction with the fan base. According to Mike Norrish, Director of Digital & Creative, PLP, as of 2022, the Premier League has partnered with content rights broadcasters to publish short photos and videos from matches on social media. These materials engaged fans, increased broadcast viewership, and enhanced the league’s sponsorship value.

Still, it is only the tip of the iceberg — the main reason is that the real reason lies in money. A monopoly on all digital assets associated with the team allows it to earn high profits, namely:

• Concentrating all media production processes in the company’s management gives the Premier League greater control over revenue and fan data, reducing its dependence on intermediaries. Starting in the 2026/27 season, the League will fully incorporate international media production and distribution.
• Even if the League sells some media rights, these are huge contracts. Thus, Four-year deals to the 2028/29 season, concluded with Sky Sports, TNT Sports, and BBC Sports, are the largest sports media rights deals ever concluded in the UK.
• Suppose the concrete clubs have their own media channels. In that case, it provides them with richer sponsorship packaging (broadcasting, social, and digital), as well as potential subscriptions for premium, exclusive content, and so popular commercial streams nowadays.

Top Premier League Club Media Platforms

Clubs announce new partnerships or media platforms almost every day, so it’s hardly possible to cover them all in one article. Therefore, it makes more sense to mention the most popular one — Manchester United.

The Red Devils own their own television channel, MUTV. This gives the club the ability to control the production and distribution of content worldwide.

Also, as a result, the MU has its own platform for:

• producing club-specific documentaries
• exclusive interviews and many other types of content.

This, in turn, provides a lot of content to use on social media platforms to direct fans to their own app or website.

Plans and Future Projects

As the last PL activity shows, dedicated fans may wait for more diverse platforms, as MU has, now that the Premier League is establishing a new in-house media operations business. It means that the clubs will have greater upstream control over content production and distribution globally (not just through third-party production firms). This opens up a new era in fan engagement, as well as new, unexpected sources of income for teams that can sometimes be even larger than the team’s traditional salaries.