Tottenham and Arsenal set to make £395m breakthrough that will ‘amaze’ fans on Sunday
By – Thiruselvam
When Tottenham and Arsenal face off in the North London derby, it will be the first time either side has had the chance to take advantage of a major financial opportunity.
Theis weekend’s meeting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the 195th iteration of the rivalry and the first since the sizzler that finished 3-2 to Arsenal at the tail end of 2023-24.
Arsenal have had the edge on the pitch in recent season, finishing runners-up to Man City in the Premier League table in successive campaigns.
But financially speaking, the Gunners are still counting the cost of several years of underachievement before the renaissance overseen by Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar.
In the last financial documented financial year, Arsenal’s revenue was £467m, way short of the £550m that Tottenham recorded over the same period and comfortably the lowest of the so-called Big Six.
Granted, the gap will have shrunk in 2023-24 and will likely narrow further this season, but Spurs’ world-class commercial operation and superior matchday income means it will not be eliminated entirely.
One area where there is relative parity between the North London giants is across broadcast revenue.
And recent technological advancements in this sphere show that both clubs are set for a major payday.
Tottenham and Arsenal match to star in immersive reality experience
As well as the 60,000-plus who will witness the clash live in N17, there will be an audience of millions around the globe
While the bulk will be domestic viewers, the United States has become by far the biggest secondary market for the Premier League.
The English top flight’s £10bn broadcast income per cycle is now split almost 50-50 between the UK TV deal and the dozens of international deals the Premier League has struck.
Arsenal and Tottenham’s combined broadcast revenue for 2022-23, the last financial year in the public domain, was £395m. That’s more than double what both clubs earned a decade ago.
There are some signs that the value of broadcast rights is beginning to plateau, but many analysts believe that augment reality and immersive experiences could breathe new life into the market.
Cosm, an immersive reality experience that went viral after screening Man United’s season opener against Fulham in August, will air the North London derby on Sunday.
The company, which has outposts in Dallas and Los Angeles, promised that the showing would be “one of the many events held at Cosm that will amaze you.”
Daniel Levy, Stan Kroenke and the Premier League’s ‘big bang’ moment
Tottenham are currently for sale and, while Stan Kroenke has now immediate plans to cash in on Arsenal, his long-term plan is to flip the club for a massive profit.
Both clubs’ owners are already in line for a huge return on the respective fees they initially paid to take control, but there is a perception within the industry that there is far more value to be realised.
Commercially, Tottenham and Arsenal are maturing their strategies to try and capitalise on their overseas fanbases.
Spurs are targeting South Korea in particular because of their links through captain Son Heung-min – and they have recently signed his heir apparent in Yang Min-hyuk.
Daniel Levy is using the club’s growing global appeal, which is also flourishing in the United States, as a selling point in negotiations to sell a minority stake in the club.
But both Spurs and Arsenal’s owners regimes are still waiting for the ‘big bang’ moment that will allow them to best monetise their overseas fanbases.
Immersive reality might be the answer.
Source – TBRFootball
