Clubs must boost to TV income

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has warned that German clubs must increase their income from UEFA Champions League TV broadcast rights if they want to stay competitive with their main international rivals. "The current payment is a long way from the amounts paid in Italy, Spain, France and especially England," he said. "We need more money from those pots as it can't be that Europe's biggest economy is bottom of the table in comparison to the big five football nations." Bundesliga clubs received an annual income of around €51 million from TV stations SAT1 and Premiere for the right to broadcast their UEFA Champions League games - even less than half the amount paid by RTL and Premiere prior to 2003 - following the bankruptcy of former TV right holders Kirch Media almost three years ago. "There will be talks about new TV deals from 2006 to 2009 starting in summer 2005 and now it's up to marketing agency TEAM and UEFA to improve the conditions for the German clubs and generate more money," insisted Rummenigge. According to a recent survey published by accountant company Deloitte & Touche, Premiership clubs earn a total of €119.1 million from the Champions League TV rights, while clubs from Spain, France and Italy bring in €69m,€ 62m and €59m respectively. The lack of income from TV rights was one of the reasons why the turnover of all 36 professional football clubs in Germany went down from €1.358 billion in 2002-03 to only €1.275 billion in 2003-04.

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.