There's a fixed number of games that are included in the package we get from Sky, only when we exceed the standard number of games are there additional payments and we don't even meet the standard amount, never mind exceed it.
Are you sure? It definitely used to be you got a standard fee for each club for highlights and then every live appearance brought an additional fee. It has been renegotiated since then though. edit - this is the most I can find: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12965536
It was definitely the case in the Premier League, though I'm not sure if the rules are different in the Football League.
I'd be surprised if we're not out of pocket. For 75 league games, all the playoff finals, 15 games in the League Cup, and coverage of the JPT Sky are paying £65M a year. Clubs are guaranteed a certain amount of money depending on the division, with Scunny one year saying the difference between Championship and L1 (on the previous deal) was about £3.5M. The current deal is about 25% lower than the last one so you'd be looking at £2.5+M now. All 24 Championship clubs must be receiving that £2.5M more than L1 clubs for Scunny to be able to give it, so there's a minimum of £60M going to Championship clubs in guaranteed payments. £5M split between all the games they're covering doesn't leave much per match, you can assume a bias to the League Cup latter stages and the Playoffs, and the fees paid per game (if there are any) are then split between the two teams. It'd only take a few hundred people not turning up to see the club lose money on the one off game (obviously that's offset by the guaranteed fee). Of course in the few hundred you've to allow for season ticket holders like me who'll save the money for a weekend away for another weekend.
What about games shown outside Sky's coverage? If it appears on ESPN or Fox Soccer in the US does the club then get another payment or is that covered in the sky money.
Foreign coverage is usually a seperate deal, but I can't see there being any decent cash in it. If we only get £65M a year for coverage where the vast majority of fans live we'll get next to nothing for foreign coverage. If you think about it, ESPN show the games because they think they can make more in advertising and subscriptions as a result of it. How many people in America are going to watch English second tier football even if they've already paid their subscription to watch the PL games? The advertising space can't bring in much money for the networks so they won't pay much for the content.
Well, we shall see. NBC here in the US just outbid ESPN and fox for English TV rights. They paid $250 million for a 3 year contract, that is $170 million more than the previous 3 year contract that Fox and ESPN had. English soccer is quite popular here and becoming even more so. I am not saying that there are crazy numbers of City fans here but because of promotion and relegation the 2nd tier teams are not exactly unheard of. We for instance are mentioned every time Altidore comes on the field or is discussed. If you are an american and you like English football and you turn on the TV and there is a championship game on you watch it. I dont think people here differentiate between a Stoke and a Leeds. They are both English Football teams the league is really inconsequential.
Most do indeed differentiate between the two. Regardless, EPL and Football league rights are separate in the US. NBC just grabbed the EPL rights starting in August of 2013. BeIn Sport secured Football League rights ahead of this season. Unfortunately they only have one English language channel and also own the rights to Serie A and Ligue 1 so any Football League games barely see the air. Unfortunate really.
The problem is nobody really cares about fans who actually go to games , it's all about sky No wonder people are turning their backs on the game
