Sky Sports and the Premier League: Always Leave Them Wanting More
England’s highest level of men’s professional football, the Premier League, is comfortably the most lucrative football league in the world.
The Premier League was created in 1992 as a rebranding of the old First Division, which had been England’s top flight since 1888. The most commonly cited motivation for the Premier League’s breakaway from the traditional English Football League was the increased media revenue that an independent top flight could offer England’s top clubs.
Between 1988 and 1992, ITV paid £44 million for the exclusive right to broadcast the old First Division. In 1992, Sky paid £304 million for the exclusive right to broadcast the newly created Premier League for the next five years. That is a 550% increase in yearly TV revenue. Overnight.
These days, that £304 million deal looks like an absolute bargain. In the most recent renegotiation announced in December 2023, Sky and TNT Sport will pay a combined £6.7 billion for a four year renewal starting in the 2025–26 season.
How has the Premier League maximized their media rights?
The exponential growth in TV Revenue for the English Premier League over the last 30 years has not been a coincidence. Every single football league in the world has attempted to capitalize on the gradual growth in popularity that the sport has experienced in that time, but none have come close to the Premier League. The high performance of English clubs in that time, as well as England’s famously infectious footballing culture are certainly contributing factors. However, one major reason has been their ability to maximize the value of their media through their social media channels such as YouTube, and more recently TikTok.
On YouTube, the “Sky Sports Premier League” channel has 4.78 million subscribers, and a combined total of 3.8 billion views. On this account, Sky Sports posts approximately 3 minute highlight packages of each 90 minute match. You don’t need a Sky subscription to view these highlights. In addition, they post short snippets of interviews with iconic players and managers, as well as their analysis and punditry programs. It is, in essence, a tiny taster of what a paid Sky customer gains access to.
The “Premier League” YouTube account has an even greater reach, with 6.1 million subscribers on YouTube and 14.7 million followers on TikTok. On the YouTube account, they post more comprehensive highlight packages of “retro” matches and compilations of various highlight categories.
By using social media to increase their reach, the Premier League and Sky Sports have gradually increased the value and recognizability of their product. Every iconic moment is accessible to be viewed for free on their social media platforms, which is the best possible marketing as the Premier League and Sky Sports can get. They will give football fans just enough of their content to get hooked into the stories and drama that the league has to offer, but not enough that they can be fully satisfied with the free content. Whether it was filmed last week or 20 years ago, they are making the most of their digital assets.
