Simon Jordan Urges The Premier League To Become ‘The Netflix Of Football’

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has urged the Premier League to set up their own streaming service, to become the Netflix of football. 

This comes after news broke that America’s Major League Soccer sold all of its global media rights exclusively to Apple TV, they became the first major US sports league to be exclusive partners with a digital media company. 

TV networks like ESPN and Fox are still in discussions to simultaneously show selected matches of the MLS, but it is understood that Apple will have all the rights. 

Starting from 2023, Apple is paying a reported fee of $250 million per year. 

When speaking on talkSPORT, former Palace chairman Jordan was asked whether the Premier League will go all digital. 

Jordan said: “It’s what should happen, it’s what I’ve been talking about for probably three or four years about the Premier League building its own platform, owning its own content rather than doing it through third party outlets like Sky and BT.” 

Jordan then spoke about the idea of the Premier League being the Netflix of football, an idea that he has been talking about for a number of years. 

“If you build your own platform, like the Netflix of football idea that I’ve been rooting for some time, charge 100 million people around the world that would easily subscribe to it.”

“£9.99 a month which isn’t a great shake in terms of cost, you would be generating £10/12 billion a year. So then you look at the £3 billion that football is currently getting. The Premier League should be getting off their backside and moving through the gears!” 

He added: “Of course there’s the argument of biting the hand that fed them. There’s no doubt Sky have taken football and the Premier League to another level but their time is beginning to go into the past. I think Sky has had its day.” 

“They are having to price football higher and higher to be able to pay to get the football in the first place.” 

Jordan then touched on the 3pm games which are currently not shown on TV in the UK. 

He said: “I’ve always believed that every game could be broadcast. I don’t believe in the 3pm watershed anymore because it was put in place to protect live audiences. Live is live and there will always be an audience for live.” 

“The Premier League needs to get its digital thinking into the right place and advance itself.”