interesting...

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It's a good idea for the big ones obviously as they will get EVEN MORE money. This was bound to happen sooner or later when you look at the amount of money Barca And Real Madrid can spend in the transfer market on a yearly basis.

It will destroy the premier league

I think to keep the level of football competitive then this should not be allowed to happen. Otherwise we would end up just like the La Liga where the top two teams have broken away from the rest.

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Liverpool panicking. Their position at the top table in the EPL is under threat from City and Spurs, and as a result will potentially threaten their popularity abroad (read Far East). They want to get this deal in place from 2013 as that's when the TV EPL deal is up for renewal. If they don't get it done this time round, then if it should happen in the future it's very likely their popularity around the globe will have reduced and therefore the clubs pulling power in terms of maximizing its revenue through its own TV rights deal will be smaller.

It's interesting how they now view themselves but, at least they realize that as a global brand they are under threat. You can't blame their MD as all he wants to do is protect Liverpool's interests.

I think BulletTheBlueSky's post has some truth about it. Liverpool's big asset at the moment is that they still have a big global fanbase due to the golden era and maintained while they were an unchallenged part of the Big 4, with some pretty successful CL campaigns. But the spending power of City in particular (and the relative advance of Spurs) means they can't rely on that CL cash to self-perpetuate their elite status. They more than any other English club need to cash in on that global brand - and it's an urgent need, because it's easy to see the brand declining while they are out of the limelight.

By the way, applying the same analysis, let's not cast the clubs who have kept silent on this as angels. United, Chelsea and City aren't talking about this because they don't have any reason to urgently pick a bruising fight. But I bet they are watching with interest.

And I'd put my money on Arsenal being the first club to express support for Liverpool's idea.

As for the substantive question, I guess we United supporters are torn. Most of us don't want to see our domestic league turned into an even more unequal proposition than it has been since the CL money brought about a semi-permanent oligarchy. On the other hand, it is truly galling to see the Spanish Two leveraging so much more income out of their comparable fan base.

The best thing we can wish for is a level playing field. So I guess the ideal would be to lobby UEFA to impose Europe-wide rules (along the lines of the fair play idea) on the conditions of TV income for clubs who are allowed to take part in UEFA competitions. It would be better to force Barca and Madrid to accept a collective deal for La Liga than for United to join them in the zillionaires club.

The best thing we can wish for is a level playing field. So I guess the ideal would be to lobby UEFA to impose Europe-wide rules (along the lines of the fair play idea) on the conditions of TV income for clubs who are allowed to take part in UEFA competitions. It would be better to force Barca and Madrid to accept a collective deal for La Liga than for United to join them in the zillionaires club.
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Thats the stuff right there.

too bad it is likely to go the other way....with UEFA forcing a slice on the individual TV deals