Champions Chelsea earn 150 million pounds in Premier League payments
REUTERS - English champions Chelsea earned 150.8 million pounds ($194 million) from the Premier League this season while bottom side Sunderland were paid more than Leicester City got as title winners last year thanks to a new broadcast contract.
The 2016-17 campaign was the first under the 5.1 billion pounds TV rights deal signed in 2015, with the total value of the league's central payments to clubs rising to 2.4 billion pounds from 1.6 billion a year earlier.
Sunderland, who were relegated to the Championship (second-tier) after finishing last, earned 93.5 million pounds, more than Leicester did in winning the 2015-16 title.
This term the Foxes earned 115.8 million pounds for finishing 12th compared to 93 million as champions last season.
The amounts include broadcast and commercial income plus prize money. Commercial income, overseas broadcast income, and a percentage of domestic broadcast income is shared equally between the league's 20 clubs.
The rest is split according to each club's league position and the number of televised games they feature in each season.
Third-placed Manchester City and Liverpool, who finished fourth, both featured in more televised games than second-placed Tottenham Hotspur, and accordingly finished slightly above the north London club in the money stakes.
Premier League payments to clubs at the end of 2016-17 season (in pounds):
Chelsea - 150,811,183
Tottenham Hotspur - 145,461,325
Manchester City - 146,927,965
Liverpool - 146,122,439
Arsenal - 139,636,498
Manchester United - 141,103,138
Everton - 127,800,699
Southampton - 122,450,841
Bournemouth - 118,237,066
West Bromwich Albion - 114,023,291
West Ham United - 116,626,014
Leicester City - 115,820,488
Stoke City - 107,062,381
Crystal Palace - 109,665,104
Swansea City - 103,179,163
Burnley - 101,237,554
Watford - 102,704,194
Hull City - 97,354,336
Middlesbrough - 98,820,976
Sunderland - 93,471,118
($1 = 0.7781 pounds)
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)