Liverpool are expected to earn more money from the Premier League than Manchester City, regardless of whether they win the title on Sunday, while the overall difference in combined TV and prize money from top to bottom place is around £55m, according to a report.
Teams are awarded a set fee from the television contracts for competing in the division, alongside a certain amount of prize money as a result of where they finish in the league.
They then take home an additional bonus which relates to the number of games they have featured in on both Sky Sports and BT Sport.
Liverpool will earn more Premier League money than Man City this season - whether they win the title or not. That's certain. And this is the predicted winnings per club if all clubs stay in the same position. pic.twitter.com/VUTQd7tfkC
— Nick Harris (@sportingintel) May 11, 2019
According to football financials expert Nick Harris writing for the Daily Mail, this bonus is what will take Liverpool's earnings over those of City, as Jurgen Klopp's side have featured in more televised matches.
As outlined in Harris' report, there have been 29 matches broadcast on TV which involved Liverpool, whilst City have only featured in 26. With teams pocketing a cool £1.2m per televised game, the Reds will earn over £3m more than City.
The differences between the prize money for each position is around £2m so, even if Liverpool finish second in the league, they will still take home more money as a result of their televised games.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are both hovering around the £143m mark as a result of guaranteeing a top-four finish, whilst Arsenal and Manchester United will be handed around £140m for falling just short.
At the bottom of the table, Cardiff City, Huddersfield Town and Fulham will all still earn between £93m and £100m, to soften the blow of relegation to the Championship.
Huddersfield's earnings are slightly hampered by their lack of appearances on TV this season. All teams are supposed to feature in at least ten televised games but the Terriers, along with Bournemouth and Southampton, have only been involved in eight.
However, just being towards the bottom of the table does not mean lower earnings. Newcastle United, who currently sit 14th, have featured in 19 televised games this season, which is the highest out of any team outside the top six.
Writing on Twitter, Harris also added an ominous word of warning, regarding the figures, claiming that the gap between the top six and rest would only increase next year
He wrote: "From next season, 2019-20, PL 'Big 6' will also earn more from foreign income, as well as from 'facility fees' (domestic TV live games), increasing inequality of income distribution, & distorting competitive balance. Modern football."
Source : 90min