The richest game in football will be more lucrative than ever when Norwich City and Middlesbrough battle not just for their share of the current Premier League television deal but a slice of the even bigger contract that starts next year.
The minimum £120 million windfall quoted as being on offer to the winners of the Championship play-off final should prove to be a conservative estimate once the Premier League finishes selling its global broadcast rights for seasons 2016-19.
The UK deal announced in February is worth £5.14 billion alone, almost as much as the £5.5bn overall package which is expected to rise to £8bn by the end of the year.
The richest game in football will be between Middlesbrough and Norwich
Norwich and Middlesbrough will not immediately benefit from a hike that is likely to see the side finishing bottom of the Premier League in 2016-17 earn around £100 million, compared to the current £62.8m.
If either is relegated, they will enjoy the biggest parachute payments ever paid out.
Those currently stand at £24m for a club in their first year outside the Premier League, £19.2m for those in their second and £9.6m for those in their third and fourth. What Norwich and Middlesbrough receive if they go down depends on the final value of the new broadcast deal but it looks certain to be in excess of £30m.
All this makes today’s game worth more financially to Boro, who have been out of the top flight since 2009 and whose parachute payments stopped two years ago.
Norwich, meanwhile, are looking to bounce back at the first time of asking following their relegation last season, meaning they would still receive almost £20m next season from the Premier League if they were to lose at Wembley.
Charlie Eccleshare
Oliver Brown
Chris Bascombe
Jason Burt
Chris Bascombe
Oliver Brown
Harry Redknapp
Sam Wallace