ManU announced increased revenues of £137.5M ($185.7M) in its third quarter financial results -- an 8% increase on the same period last year, according to Mark Critchley of the London INDEPENDENT. The club earned a profit of £100,000M ($135,000) between January and March, "despite the outlay involved" in the signing of Alexis Sánchez from Arsenal during the winter transfer window. Net debt fell to £301.3M ($407M), a decrease of £65M ($88M) over the course of the year, and employee benefits rose by £8.6M ($11.6M) due to player bonuses for competing in the Champions League. ManU's commercial and matchday revenue streams both increased, though broadcasting revenues "saw the biggest hike," rising 26.4% due to two additional matches being shown live on TV (INDEPENDENT, 5/17). The BBC reported four sponsorship deals were signed during the three months to April, including new deals with Chinese insurance firm PingAn and sports nutrition firm Science in Sport. A deal with South Korean pharmaceuticals company Cho-A-Pharm was renewed, and one with Chinese mattress maker Mlily was extended. However, total sponsorship revenues for the quarter were down by 0.2% to £41.7M ($56.3M) compared with a year before (BBC, 5/17). REUTERS' Hardik Vyas reported Man City’s "record-breaking campaign" earned it £149.4M ($201.8M) from the Premier League but it was "just beaten" by ManU in the earnings table. ManU, which finished second in the league, received £149.7M ($202.2M) as it had two more games televised than Man City during the campaign. Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal "were the only other clubs" to earn more than £140M ($189M). West Bromwich Albion, which was relegated to the League Championship after finishing last, received £94.7M ($127.9M) (REUTERS, 5/17).
A BIG GAP: MARCA reported West Brom earned "more than even third-placed" La Liga side Atlético Madrid "in terms of TV money" for '16-17. Data from La Liga shows that the sum total of all 20 top-flight clubs in Spain in '16-17 was €1.247B ($1.47B), with only Barcelona (€146.2M) ($172.5M) and Real Madrid (€140.1M) ($165.3M) "earning nine figures," while Alavés and Leganés earned the least at just €39.3M ($46.4M) each (MARCA, 5/17).
