(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-28 15:59

JOHANNESBURG - The sale of television rights worldwide is likely to continue to generate booming revenues for soccer clubs and controlling bodies, industry experts said on Tuesday.

The increasing number of television broadcasters and the emergence of other media platforms, like mobile technology and the Internet, present a rosy outlook for organisations like FIFA, UEFA and the English Premier League, whose products enjoy worldwide popularity.

"Emerging technology and particularly the entrance of telecommunications companies into the broadcast world will continue to see rights fees grow" said Phil Lines, head of media operations at the Premier League.

"Football is a form of entertainment people can readily identify with and remains the cornerstone of many TV broadcasters's offerings," he said at the Soccerex international business convention at the Sandton convention centre.

"There are more players on the playing ground," added Philippe Le Floc'h, the director of marketing and media rights for UEFA, Europe's governing body.

England's Premier League recently concluded sales of their TV rights worldwide for a three-year cycle, starting this season, which generated income of 2.3 billion pounds ($4.76 billion).

Of this, 700 million pounds was earned from foreign markets, said Lines.

"I think the overseas markets will continue to grow but I still expect the money generated from the British market to stay up in front."

UEFA earned 2.4 billion euros ($3.56 billion) from sales of the UEFA Champions League rights through until 2009 and project revenues of one billion euros for the 2008 European Championship, to be staged in Austria and Switzerland next June.

GLOBAL PRODUCTS

Le Floc'h said it was a 30 percent increase on the last tournament in Portugal in 2004.

"Ours are European-based competitions but have become global products," he added.

Lines also predicted a return to centralised sales of TV rights despite differing strategies in countries like Italy and Spain, where clubs have individually been attempting to sell the TV rights to their matches.

"We have benefited from never moving away from the collective sale of our matches. Broadcasters know that when they buy our rights they are going to get the complete package.

"If you make it a high quality product that is easy to deliver, then it is also easy to buy," Lines added.

Despite criticism of the extensive TV reach of the Premier League in international markets, Lines said demand for top-flight English football remained strong, particularly in Asia.

"The Premier League has become the main footballing product in a lot of Asian countries where they do not have a strong domestic league. It has become the must-have product across Asia."