It's All Going Telly Up

Football’s house of cards is in danger of collapsing as TV deals in Europe fall apart leaving the Premier League desperate to fulfil £750M obligations

- John Cross

The multi-billion pound industry is beginning to fall like a house of cards.

Television deals are what makes the football world go round and what is driving the Premier League to get this season finished at all costs.

If proof were needed of what a precarious position the game is in, then the warning signs have come loud and clear from across the Channel.

French broadcaster Canal Plus has told France’s top two divisions it will not pay £100million due as the next instalment for TV rights as no games are being played amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It cited force majeure, which allows a contract to be terminated because of extraordinary circumstance.

In a letter, chief executive Maxime Saada said: “Our pay-TV activities are strongly impacted by the closure of large part of our sales channels and by the weakening of the attractiveness of our sports offers.

“Our advertising revenues are in free fall, our international television and Studiocanal activities are also severely affected.”