Premier League Commercial Revenue Growth: From Manchester United’s Dominance to a Six-Club Powerhouse, Reshaping the Elite Commercial Landscape

By Han Bing The Premier League’s approach to enlarging the league’s “pie” is reflected not only in domestic and overseas broadcasting revenues but also in the increasingly vital commercial income for major clubs. The relatively balanced allocation of TV broadcast revenue has raised the income ceiling for all clubs, allowing greater investment in the transfer market and commercial ventures. Over the past decade, the Premier League has consistently pursued fairness in overseas market expansion. The once vast commercial sponsorship lead held by Manchester United has gradually shifted as other top clubs have grown their global influence, resulting in a more balanced group advantage among the six leading clubs.

Compared to other competitors, the top clubs in Europe’s big four leagues have a significant edge in commercial income. Last season, Real Madrid (€594 million) and Barcelona (€522 million) generated more commercial revenue than Atlético Madrid’s entire seasonal income (€454 million). Paris Saint-Germain’s commercial revenue (€367 million) was twice the full season revenue of Marseille, the second-largest club in Ligue 1. In contrast, the Premier League’s traditional top six clubs show smaller commercial revenue gaps: for the 2024/25 season, Manchester’s two giants hover around €400 million, Liverpool (€366 million), Tottenham (€330 million), and Arsenal (€314 million) all fall within the €300 million range, with Chelsea slightly lower (€239 million). However, Chelsea lacks front-of-shirt sponsorship income; given their global influence, this sponsorship alone could bring in at least €50 million annually, placing them similarly within the €300 million bracket.

A decade ago, in the 2015/16 season, Manchester United’s major sponsorships—including kit supplier, front shirt sponsor, and training wear deals—brought in as much as €190 million annually. Liverpool earned €135 million, Chelsea €100 million, Arsenal €84 million, Manchester City €63 million, and Tottenham the lowest at €36 million. Fast forward to the 2024/25 season, front-of-shirt sponsorship values for Manchester City, Manchester United, and Liverpool have roughly equalized at around €70 million per year. Arsenal’s is slightly lower at €58 million, while Chelsea’s previous front shirt deal was €46 million annually, with new sponsorship deals expected to exceed €50 million per year. Even Tottenham, the lowest, has reached €46 million annually, significantly narrowing the gap with the Manchester clubs. Mid-table teams like Newcastle United (€29 million) and Aston Villa (€23 million) have also seen multiple-fold increases. Furthermore, nearly all the traditional top six benefit from lucrative sleeve and training wear sponsorships, generating over €10 million annually.

Regarding kit sponsorship income, Manchester City’s renewed contract with Puma (€115 million per year) has surpassed Adidas’s deal with Manchester United (€105 million per year). Adidas also sponsors Arsenal (€87 million per year) and Liverpool, while Nike backs Chelsea (€70 million per year), all setting the benchmark for top clubs. Even Tottenham, the lowest among the traditional six, earns €58 million annually from Nike, about half of the Manchester clubs’ deals but enough to rank in the top five across Europe’s big four leagues, only behind Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG, and Bayern Munich. Additionally, clubs like Aston Villa (€20 million per year), Everton (€28 million), and Newcastle United (€46 million) have also seen significant growth. This illustrates how the Premier League’s strategy to grow the league’s total revenue “pie” has created a lucrative “group monopoly” led by the traditional top six clubs.