Television and Broadcasting

News International, the publisher of The Times and The Sun has secured the near-live mobile and internet rights to 380 Premier League games per season unxder an exclusive three year deal.

It is the first time that a newspaper group has bought audio-visual rights for the Premiership which were previously shared by American broadcaster ESPN and internet company Yahoo!.   It is believed that News International bid more than the combined sum of £30m paid by ESPN and Yahoo! under the last deal.

Brazil's top football clubs earned revenue of $1bn in the 2011 season, up nearly 30 per cent from a year earlier, as they gained a greater share of income from television rights.  They have been helped by the rise of pay TV in Brazil with clubs now drawing 26 per cent of their income from TV rights.

This sudden increase in wealth is allowing Brazilian clubs to persuade more top talent to stay at home and to draw some players back from overseas.   A rising middle class is producing rapid growth in telecoms, media and the entertainment industries.

You need to read this blog post for yourself.   It's a witty and erudite piece of football writing.  A core argument is that the rise of the social media has transformed football and in particular who controls the narrative about the game: no longer the blazer-clad football elite, but the fans themselves.  Not that the writer has a naive belief that everything about the social media represents a change for the better.

One of the scenarios favoured by those who think that 'the Premiership bubble will burst' is a fall in prices for live television rights.  But the trend seems to be in the opposite direction for both domestic and international rights.   BSkyB is paying £2.3bn for 116 matches in the new Premier League three year rights deal, compared with £1.6bn for 115 matches in its current deal.   That's a 40 per cent increase.