Newcastle United have proven once again that they are breaking their way into the ‘big six’ after their first six Premier League fixtures were picked for live TV broadcast.
The first batch of live Premier League games as revealed today and the first six games Newcastle are set to play have been selected for broadcast by either Sky Sports or TNT (Formerly BT Sport).
By contrast, of Fulham‘s first six games none will be shown live despite playing the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal in that time.
Newcastle’s first six Premier League fixtures will be shown on live TV
If this isn’t a sign that Newcastle are on the rise then I don’t know what is.
Granted it could just be because we are under the microscope due to our controversial owners, but the money that comes in through negative interest spends the same as that which comes in from positive interest, so if they want to keep picking our games for broadcast just so they can try and haul us over the coals every week, let them crack on.
In all seriousness, Newcastle have become a huge interest in world football now because of our owners. Everybody wants to see how ‘the world’s richest club’ are getting on, and the more games picked for TV the more money we get and the less we have to worry about FFP.
Add that to the Champions League TV revenue and everything else that goes with playing in that competition and Newcastle’s balance sheet could look very different this time next year.
So our season will kick off just a bit later than expected with our first game against Aston Villa now a 5:30pm kick-off on 12th August live on Sky. Then the following week as we head to Manchester City we find ourselves the victims of the latest crazy Premier League decision as we face an 8pm kick-off on a Saturday which will be shown on TNT.
There’s also a Saturday kick-off at 4:30 in the mix as the Premier League and TV rights holders move to squeeze as many televised games in as possible this season.
The increased TV coverage is a double-edged sword to say the least
That’s great for the average fan, sure, but for those who attend the games it’s an absolute nightmare. That game at Manchester City is going to be torture to get back from for a lot of people.
Football is money first people second, and although, for people who can’t get to the games they benefit from that policy with many of Newcastle’s games now being shown on TV, it’s not in keeping with the spirit of the game.
Again though, all that extra money for the club can only be a good thing.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
