Why can’t we watch the Premier League earlier in Asia?

webfact · August 8, 2022

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Premier League television revenue is to exceed £10bn for the first time, which will drive up prize money and ensure that even the bottom club will pocket more than £100m as of next season.

According to the website https://www.90min.com/ The 2022/23 champions will be rewarded with £176m in prize money, up from £153m this season.

The increase comes after what has been described as ‘bidding wars in America and beyond’ as broadcasters around the globe fight for the right to show live Premier League football.

Half of the global fanbase and a quarter of the television audience, the Premier League says, is in Asia-Pacific.

And that is despite games often finishing in the middle of the night.

The Premier League, has also secured another mega television rights deal in Asia, signing a partnership with ESPN Star Sports that will cover 16 territories.

ESS will screen the Premier League in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Laos, the Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and South Korea.

The rights are not on the scale of the recent agreements concluded in Singapore and Malaysia, but still represent a significant contribution towards overseas television revenues that the Premier League expects to top US$1 billion per season.

True Corp’s chief media officer Ong-Ard Prapakamol said the company has extended the Premier League broadcast contract from next season (2022/23) through to 2024/2025 for viewers in Thailand.

TrueVisions said it was the only pay television channel in Thailand that will broadcast all 380 matches of the Premier League season or 1,140 matches in total over three seasons.

From next season, the global broadcast market will, for the first time, be worth more than what Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon, and the BBC collectively pay to broadcast the Premier League in the UK.

The total value of the international broadcast packages will grow to £5.3bn, up from £4.1bn.

Overall, it is said the total fund is worth £10.5bn once other new commercial deals are factored in.

Of that money, around £1.6bn is expected to be handed to the football pyramid below.

The extra income from overseas broadcasters won’t be split equally among Premier League clubs, however, with those who perform better earning more.

That was not previously the case and chief executive Richard Masters is credited with ‘seeing off a big-six rebellion’ over the matter.

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Asian audience is vast

The Premier League is the most-watched sports league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people.

Asia accounts for a quarter of their global TV audience.

In fact, China has the most Premier League followers, with 300 million followers.

Now if you wish to follow your team here in Thailand most of the games don’t kick off until 23.00hrs or later which means if you have to work next day you are likely to miss the second half.

Apart from a few early kick offs at 12.30pm GMT shown here at 18,30 or some at 20.00hrs most of us would have to watch highlights or us a catch-up service.

If the Asia audience is so vast, maybe the clubs should stagger their kick offs in England at the weekends.

So, for example on both Saturdays and Sundays they could have matches kicking off at 12.30, 14.30 and 16.30hrs.

The bars across Asia will be packed and advertisers will be spending more too.

Surely it would be a solution where everyone benefits all round.

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Wiggy · August 8, 2022

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Now if you wish to follow your team here in Thailand most of the games don’t kick off until 23.00hrs or later which means if you have to work next day you are likely to miss the second half.

Absolute rubbish. The vast majority of games kick-off at 3pm on a Saturday, which is 9pm or 10pm in Thailand depending on the time of year.

champers · August 8, 2022

This Saturday there was a match at 12.30, 4 at 3.00 and one at 5.30, all UK time.

Sunday was 2 games at 2.00 and one at 4.30.

Monday and Friday night kick-offs are 8pm.

OP needs to do a fact check.

whiteman · August 8, 2022

Monday and Friday night kick-offs are 8pm === 2am Thai time stuff that

gk10012001 · August 8, 2022

Reminds me of the movie "The Sting". Delaying the radio broadcast of the horse races, so they could place bets on the actual winners they got slightly ahead of the taped broadcasts

jacko45k · August 8, 2022

A pal was telling me PL was live on his TV Saturday night.... rather surprised as he only has one of the local cable networks. Although if it is being shown in neighboring countries, in the past it made it here.

ASEAN NOW News · August 9, 2022

3 hours ago, Wiggy said:

Absolute rubbish. The vast majority of games kick-off at 3pm on a Saturday, which is 9pm or 10pm in Thailand depending on the time of year.

I agree that the Fulham v Liverpool game was at 18.30 hrs in Thailand last Saturday, however if you look at the future games many will start a lot later and when the clocks change in England they become very late kick offs here.

The point is as the vast amount of TV revenues come from Asia the Premier League should try to arrage a few more earlier kick offs.

Lite Beer · August 9, 2022

Just watch the game the next morning without knowing the score.

Simple really.

LittleBear57 · August 9, 2022

Ah! The game played by the working class for the working class. I remember paying 2 bob to stand on the Kop. I don't bother much these days.

jacko45k · August 9, 2022

22 minutes ago, LittleBear57 said:

Ah! The game played by the working class for the working class. I remember paying 2 bob to stand on the Kop. I don't bother much these days.

Was it more when they were playing?

I used to be stood watching my lot, in the completely open Embankment end freezing to death....madness!

JonnyF · August 9, 2022

Yes, let's inconvenience the real fans in England that support their teams week in week out, paying through the turnstiles in all weather, buying the official merchandise, creating the atmosphere in the stadiums that is core to the product, just so that it's more convenient for Asian fans to watch their illegal streams while wearing their 200 Baht kits from the local flea market.

Great idea.

Chongalulu · August 9, 2022

1 hour ago, Lite Beer said:

Just watch the game the next morning without knowing the score.

Simple really.

Match of the day available on bbc iPlayer from 6am is a great alternative for highlights

Digitalbanana · August 9, 2022

2 hours ago, ASEAN NOW News said:

I agree that the Fulham v Liverpool game was at 18.30 hrs in Thailand last Saturday, however if you look at the future games many will start a lot later and when the clocks change in England they become very late kick offs here.

The point is

I think the point is as correctly stated below:

5 hours ago, Wiggy said:

The vast majority of games kick-off at 3pm on a Saturday, which is 9pm or 10pm in Thailand

So the op is stretching the facts to fit the agenda (with which I have some agreement) by saying:

6 hours ago, webfact said:

most of the games don’t kick off until 23.00hrs or later

Fact is most games will kick off 3pm UK time.

sungod · August 9, 2022

Smells of another Michael Bridge article, asking ridiculous questions and factually incorrect in many places.

sateuk · August 9, 2022

2 hours ago, ASEAN NOW News said:

I agree that the Fulham v Liverpool game was at 18.30 hrs in Thailand last Saturday, however if you look at the future games many will start a lot later and when the clocks change in England they become very late kick offs here.

The point is as the vast amount of TV revenues come from Asia the Premier League should try to arrage a few more earlier kick offs.

Every Saturday there will be a 18 30 kick off and 4 minimum at 21 00, Sunday there will be 2 at 20 00 that's 7 out of the 10 matches at a reasonable time at 1 hour to that and it's still a reasonable early kick off

AndyFoxy · August 9, 2022

What’s the problem? Go to bed early and get up for them.

garygooner · August 9, 2022

It is what it is. I'm more than happy watching games on the weekend in the evening. I don't mind missing very late midweek games. Just watch highlights on YouTube.

Actually much prefer watching a game on TV in the evening on Sat/Sun than in the afternoon in England.

Tropposurfer · August 9, 2022

Ahhhh ???????????????? ... maybe cause the world is round not flat ????????

mrbojangles · August 9, 2022

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

Yes, let's inconvenience the real fans in England that support their teams week in week out, paying through the turnstiles in all weather, buying the official merchandise, creating the atmosphere in the stadiums that is core to the product, just so that it's more convenient for Asian fans to watch their illegal streams while wearing their 200 Baht kits from the local flea market.

Great idea.

On the one hand I absolutely agree with the "real fan's" element but the PL would not be as successful as it is on domestic revenue alone. Global audiences have helped make it as attractive and as rich as it is today.

mrbojangles · August 9, 2022

2 hours ago, Lite Beer said:

Just watch the game the next morning without knowing the score.

Simple really.

Tried it but I can't sleep knowing City are playing. Sad eh ????

mrbojangles · August 9, 2022

BTW. Just in case any readers have missed it, there is a footy forum on here for all sorts of talk about (mainly) the English Football Leagues

Can be found here and new supporters of any club are welcome to join in:- Football/Soccer Forum - ASEAN NOW - News, Travel & Forum

hotchilli · August 9, 2022

2 hours ago, LittleBear57 said:

Ah! The game played by the working class for the working class. I remember paying 2 bob to stand on the Kop. I don't bother much these days.

The last game I ever went to was Southampton when Laurie McMenamy was boss, Kevin Keegan and Micky Channon were on the pitch, with a few other top names in the game.

They we hosting Liverpool who then had the deadly Kenny Dalglish.

Those were the days.

chilly07 · August 9, 2022

True drumming up business again. I watch 3 games on Saturdays and 2 on Sundays all live on Thipmanee cable Pattaya. Don't have to pay extra!

blackshadow · August 9, 2022

9 hours ago, champers said:

This Saturday there was a match at 12.30, 4 at 3.00 and one at 5.30, all UK time.

Sunday was 2 games at 2.00 and one at 4.30.

Monday and Friday night kick-offs are 8pm.

OP needs to do a fact check.

I WATCHED all the games over the last weekend.....so whats your problem???except for the later kick offs in england!!! that is 4.30 and 5.30 pm english time.......too late for me to watch a 90 minute game.........

The Hammer2021 · August 9, 2022

The last game I went was on Boxing day at Old Trafford in the late 60s. United playing West Ham. Dennis Law was captain I think and Knobby Styles was in defence.