EPL club Leicester City for the first time in its 132-year history can "afford to spend with the elite" in the wake of its league title, according to Joshua Robinson of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Last season’s champion Chelsea earned a total of $141M (all figures U.S.) "in broadcast revenue and prize money from the Premier League, offering a rough guide to Leicester’s windfall this year." Next season, under the terms of new domestic and international broadcast deals totaling around $13B for '16-19, that figure "will grow by at least 50%." Leicester "played in 10 live-television games on its way to a 14th place finish last year." The club’s merit-based and live-game income totaled just $25M. The EPL "hasn’t yet released the figures for this season, but Leicester can expect that figure to double." None of that "takes into account any benefits stemming from increased visibility for the club" and Chair Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. Leicester also will be able to "count on further income from qualifying for the world’s most prestigious club tournament, the UEFA Champions League." The club will receive $13.8M "just for showing up," plus another $1.7M per win and $575,000 per draw (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/4). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's James Hookway wrote the question now is whether Srivaddhanaprabha -- the "first of English soccer’s Asian owners to win a championship -- will spend more money to retain Leicester’s key players and attract fresh talent." The club’s share of this season’s worldwide television rights adds up to $132M, "when merit fees and additional charges for the number of games broadcast live are included." That will give the club "some added financial firepower" (WSJ.com, 5/3).
