May 12 – The dressing room in England – that sacred temple of half-time hairdryers, tactical diagrams and hot tea – has long been football’s final frontier of privacy. Now, in a move that would make even American sports blush, the Premier League is asking clubs to swing those doors wide open for the prying eye of television cameras.
Starting as early as next season, if 14 clubs give the green light as per Premier League rules, teams would be forced to allow dressing room access, half-time player interviews and even grab substituted players for a quick chat during matches.
The proposal comes from Sky Sports and TNT Sports who apparently feel short-changed by their recently signed four-year £6.7 billion deal.
Some clubs are playing nice about letting the broadcasters circle closer, but the self-important ‘Big Six’ (Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and – try not to laugh – Tottenham Hotspur) are predictably precious about the idea. Why give content away to broadcasters when you can monetise every bead of player sweat on your own slick in-house platforms?
The Premier League’s suits though are looking at how the money numbers are slowly shrinking because they tell a story: broadcasters now pay £6.2 million per game compared to a hefty £10.19 million during the 2016-19 cycle.
While international rights remain healthy, broadcasters want their pound of flesh and then some. Look at France, where DAZN bought Ligue 1 rights then promptly threw their toys out of the pram when clubs wouldn’t play ball with their content demands.
Sky will beam a minimum of 215 live top-flight matches next season, and they want to give viewers value-for-money as the £31.50 monthly subscription begins to bite.
One change already given the green light will allow Steadicam operators to join the player pile-ons during goal celebrations. Because nothing says “authentic moment of joy” like tripping over a camera operator while you’re hugging your teammates.
This whole privacy-stripping bonanza will be debated at June’s Annual General Meeting, where club executives will decide if the cash is worth the intrusion.
Compared to U.S. Sports: American sports have long since surrendered to the broadcast gods in ways that would make European football traditionalists faint. NFL coaches wear microphones during games, NBA locker rooms are regular television real estate, and MLB dugout interviews happen mid-inning.
The difference? U.S. sports were built with television as part of their DNA – the NFL’s famous TV timeouts are literally scheduled breaks for advertising. Meanwhile, the Premier League is trying to retrofit centuries-old sporting traditions into modern entertainment packages. As always, the mighty dollar will decide the conversation.
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