Over 4 Million Viewers Could Stop Watching The Premier League If Manchester City Aren’t Docked Points Or Relegated

If Manchester City manage to escape their ongoing financial investigation unscathed, as many as 4.2 million viewers are prepared to turn their back on the Premier League for good.

That’s according to an exclusive YouGov poll commissioned by SportsCasting.

YouGov Poll Suggests Premier League Viewers Would Stop Watching if Manchester City Are Not Docked Points, Amid 115 Alleged Financial Breaches

It’s 16 years since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family purchased the club. 

In doing so, the boundless wealth of their new owners set in motion a supercharged metamorphosis that has led to a period of unparalleled success, including six Premier League titles in seven years and an historic fourth in a row last season.

While few can doubt their credentials on the pitch, rumblings of financial misconduct have bubbled beneath the surface for some time. 

It almost reached boiling point in 2020 after UEFA banned them from European competition for two years, only for the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn the decision due to accusations being “time-barred.”

However, with the Premier League allowed to investigate and sanction teams as far back as necessary, City could well be in a spot of bother if they are found guilty of any of the 115 financial breaches brought forward.

YouGov Poll Suggests Millions of Premier League Watchers Will Switch Off if Manchester City Are Cleared

A recent YouGov poll commissioned by SportsCasting, asking whether fans would continue watching the Premier League if Manchester City escape punishment, has yielded some interesting results.

14% of participants say they would stop watching the Premier League entirely.

Deep-rooted fears over the integrity of league officials and the legitimacy of City’s operation are at the heart of this scepticism.

There is an awful lot of smoke if there is to be no fire, so it would come as no surprise to see a large proportion of fans remain dubious over City’s finances – even long after the hearing has concluded.

The 115 charges are the result of a tireless four-year investigation so a conclusion to the hearing will likely take some time, but proceedings got underway in September.

This could be a damning indictment on the Premier League, losing a huge chunk of their viewers. Of course, this would also have huge implications in terms of revenue through ticket sales and television viewers.

Broadcasting Contracts Will Almost Certainly Shrink if Premier League Loses Viewers

The latest broadcasting deal beginning next season hit a record £6.7 billion, and will see Sky and TNT screen a minimum of 215 live matches per season.

This could well end up representing terrible value if fans begin to turn their back on the Premier League.

A dip in viewers will mean less opportunities for broadcasters to strike lucrative advertising deals. 

As the price shrinks however, this could cultivate healthy competition between other interested broadcasters such as Apple TV and Amazon.

Football Finance Expert Warns of Consequences in ‘Pivotal Moment’ For UK Sport

Football finance expert Dr Dan Plumley has warned Manchester City’s financial hearing could change the complexion of sport in this country indefinitely.

He told us: “Whichever way the verdict falls is likely to have wide ranging consequences for the league and its clubs because of the scale of it.

“Fans, broadcasters and commercial partners of both parties need to be considered here and in many ways everyone has a lot to lose.

“It is a really delicate situation and other cases linked to the Premier League and PSR (Everton, Forest, Leicester and City again with the APT case) have heightened the situation. Whatever happens it is likely to lead to a knock on effect for other clubs in the league and the governance structure of the whole league.

“It is perhaps likely that we may see further appeals as well so it could be a long time before an overall conclusion. 

“Add in the Independent Regulator and what might be coming down the track and it feels like a pivotal moment for the sport in this country.” 

He continued by playing down the threat to broadcasters however, and believes Sky and TNT will – in the near future at least – continue to dominate the television landscape.

“I don’t think we will see too much of a shift in terms of broadcasting in the short-term. The most recent set of broadcasting rights has been secured to the conclusion of the 2028/29 season and we have seen international rights continue to grow over the last few years. 

“Domestically, it is likely we will see Sky dominate the market and consolidate their position with TNT being the clear number two (assuming all things stay equal between now and 2029). 

“Broadcasters will continue to be a crucially important stakeholder for the Premier League though, as they have been throughout its history and they will want a strong product on the pitch to continue to drive value from TV deals in the future.”