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Football fans are set to stage a demonstration today to demand that a slice of the £5.14billion TV rights deal is used to slash ticket prices.
Supporters were due to gather outside the Premier League’s shareholder meeting at London’s Le Meridien Hotel.
The TV deal, agreed with Sky and BT, is the equivalent of each club charging £40 a ticket for each game over the three seasons it covers. Sky is paying £11.05m a game, up from £6.6m now. The Premier League argues that issues such as ticket pricing are a matter for individual clubs.
The Football Supporters’ Federation are behind the demonstration and in an open letter to all 20 top-flight clubs they have called for a reduction in ticket prices. The letter says: “Loyalty should not be taken for granted. This rights deal puts you in a better position than ever to share the wealth.”
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, who brokered the rights deal and led today’s meeting, has also come under fire after he rebuffed demands for those working at top tier clubs, including catering and cleaning staff, to be paid the Living Wage as a result of the TV deal.
