Big five football leagues’ finances: how they have shaped their revenues and what are the projections for the future
As we are moving towards the end of 2023, the top five leagues of European football are about to take a look back at their financial year to review their performance. The previous season – the 2021/22 season, was a very good one for most of the leagues, as they saw their revenues grow considerably, especially in comparison to the pre-pandemic period.
Football fans, club supporters and football bettors have always been interested in knowing how much money the top European leagues make and where that money comes from. The basis of the football economy is the analysis of previous experience, matches, players, etc. This site deals with the analytics of games and players on the pitch, they have already become indispensable tools for fans around the world.
So, before we embark on the new year, let’s see how the big five performed in their finances in the last season, what has shaped their revenues streams and which leagues were the absolute winners of the year.
Aggregate Big Five income increased, but Premier League revenues reached an all-time high.
The aggregate revenues of the top five European leagues – Spain’s LaLiga, Italy’s Serie A, Germany’s Bundesliga, France’s Ligue 1 and England’s Premier League – increased significantly last season, reaching €17.2 billion, up from €17 billion in the pre-pandemic period. All of this occurred in the middle of new regulations that, in some cases, protected a more aggressive capacity for expansion.
The big winner of the previous season was undoubtedly the English Premier League, which saw their earnings grow by 11% compared to the pre-pandemic period, making a whooping leap to nearly €6.4 billion. France’s Ligue 1 also demonstrated a strong growth of approximately 6.5%, while LaLiga, Serie A and Bundelisga revenues slightly dropped by 3%, 4.5% and 5.8% respectively.
The sources of revenue growth
The growth at the aggregate level was largely fueled by the growth of the EPL revenues and of course the increase in Ligue 1 earnings. But what has been the source of this growth?
Commercial revenues, matchday revenues and broadcasting revenues are the three main types of revenue streams for the top five leagues of the European Union.
Matchday income increased considerably during the previous season, 2021/22. This was only reasonable, considering that after the pandemic, and soon the limitations were released, people began to return to stadiums to watch their favourite teams play on the pitch. In addition, new stadiums were built as a result of new club combinations in the top leagues, and their diverse capacities resulted in a more favourable record for matchday earnings.
Commercial income, which included both sponsorships and non-sponsorship earnings such as merchandising, advertising, and so on, increased during the previous season. At the aggregate level, commercial revenues rose by 17% to almost €6.4billion, driving the total revenue growth for its largest part. The English Premier League was the absolute winner here too, with its commercial revenues growing far more than any other of the big five leagues.
Broadcasting revenues, surprisingly, declined slightly, but they did not hit an all time low. They were kept at levels equal to the pre-pandemic period and this was basically due to the fact that during the pandemic the broadcasting revenues were whooping at unthinkably high levels, which were deflated once the restrictive measures were removed and people started going to stadiums once again.
Projections about future revenues
The future is projected to be a good one once again for the big five, at least at the aggregate level. According to recent estimates, it is expected that the total revenues will hit a new high record, reaching approximately €18.2 billion.
The good thing is that growth is projected for all leagues -including German Bundesliga and Spanish LaLiga- except Italy’s Serie A which is still struggling, however things are anticipated to improve in the near future for that league as well.
For as long as fans continue to support football, watch and follow these leagues or even engage with these leagues via sports betting, they will be able to sustain their performance and grow, possibly at levels which are now unimagined!