Predicting the future of football: ‘PremFlix’ and fans are paying more

In 1992, Sky won the rights to broadcast the newly established Premier League in a £304m five-year deal. Two years later, Duncanson predicted that power broadcasters would expand football to an extent not yet seen.

“If you think television is very powerful in sports now, in 10 years you won’t trust them to control it,” he said.

Duncanson also predicted that in 2004 fans would watch football through subscription and pay-per-view services.

“He’ll see it in his own locale Newcastle Cable stations because BBC or ITV will not be able to afford the rights to the game,” he said.

“The cable operator will pay a fortune for this, but he knows he will get money back from the subscription

“It will probably be done on pay-per-view, so you put a card and a number on your telephone, tap it, five quid will be docked from your account, the game will pop up.”

For more than three decades, subscription-funded broadcasters have been the gatekeepers of top-flight English football.

In 2023, the Premier League agreed a record four-year £6.7bn domestic television deal for Sky and TNT to show 270 live games a season until 2025-26.

Reflecting on his original prediction, Duncanson said it was “not rocket science” to see where things were going “if you follow the money”.

“Sky changed the game by spending so much money on the rights because it established them as a major satellite power, and they continue to this day,” he said.

Looking to the future, Duncanson sees the nature of subscription viewing changing.

“We’re all going to learn a new acronym: DTC – direct to customer,” he said.

“There’s a bit of push-back now with subscription prices going up, from football fans who say, ‘Why should I pay so much? I don’t want to watch cricket or rugby or motorsport or whatever. I just want to watch my team play.'”

Taking its cues from the NFL, NBA and Formula 1, Duncanson believes the Premier League will increasingly become a rights holder and broadcast platform.

“The Premier League is going to launch its own channel in Singapore next season. If it’s successful, you’ll see it being rolled out in other regions,” he said.

“You’re watching ‘PremFlix’ or ‘FIFA TV’ or ‘UEFA+’, or any of those precious footballs.”