By Kieran Maguire

12th Sep, 2023 | 11:27am

Kieran Maguire: 'Man United are the victims' after being fleeced by pirates

Man United and other top-flight clubs are set to benefit from the Premier League cracking down on illegal streaming.

That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the Premier League’s plans to protect their £5bn media rights.

As reported by the Financial Times, the Premier League has vowed to take a tougher stance on the illegal streaming of matches.

The Premier League sold its media rights for £5billion in its last cycle, making it the league’s biggest generator of revenue.

As a result of the huge value of the broadcasting deals, Premier League clubs earn north of £100million in broadcast revenue even if relegated from the top flight.

Maguire explained that piracy and illegal streaming has a ‘negative impact’ on the value of broadcast rights which is causing clubs such as United to lose ‘intellectual property’.

“The Premier League’s broadcast rights are some of the most sought-after globally from a subscription TV model perspective,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.

“Therefore if there is anything that challenges the broadcaster’s ability to charge high fees for monthly subscriptions such as piracy then that can have a negative impact.

“We are seeing increasing sophistication from the pirates who are taking advantage of the split nature of the broadcasting rights.

“Also, the increased cost to consumers during a period of high inflation and a cost of living crisis makes any alternatives much more attractive to fans.

“Many people who live crime-free lives are willing to break the law in order to access football as it’s seen as a victim-free transaction.

“However, that is not the case as Premier League clubs such as Man United are losing part of their intellectual property and there is no certainty where the money is going to end up.“

In other news, Man United denied Axel Tuanzebe ‘surprise’ £62,000-a-week deal