Premier League TV rights deal hugely significant to Magpies

EVERY single Premier League club will be eagerly anticipating the outcomes of this week’s domestic TV rights auction.

It will affect the future revenue streams of all 20 top-flight clubs – but it is Newcastle United whose destiny is perhaps most closely aligned to the next three-year live-broadcast deal. According to The Daily Mail, bids for 2019-22 TV rights need to be submitted by Thursday – and the winners could be announced “within hours”. However, if rounds of bidding are required due to multiple parties showing an interest, then it may take a few days for the winners to be confirmed.

Sky Sports and BT Sport are almost certain to bid to renew their rights, while Google, Amazon and Facebook are all rumoured to be considering making an offer.

A dramatic increase on the current £5.14billion deal is not expected – it is likely there will only be a negligible rise, if any at all.

Whatever fee the rights are sold for will impact upon the takeover situation at Newcastle.

Mike Ashley is still keen to sell and the club remains on the market, yet experts believe a new bid will only arrive once the TV deal is confirmed – and therefore interested parties can have a better idea of how much Newcastle as a club is worth.

Obviously all of this is also dependent on United retaining their Premier League status this season – the club’s value will decrease significantly if they are relegated – but Thursday really could prove to be a pivotal day in the Magpies’ history.