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Newcastle issue statement that proves Amanda Staveley was right about £165m issue
Recent developments at Newcastle United have proved Amanda Staveley was spot-on in a bold prediction she made earlier this year.
Staveley was the public face of the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s takeover of Newcastle in October 2021, after which she acquired a small stake in the club and became a director.
In a move that is said to have shocked Newcastle players, Staveley’s departure and the sale of her shares was officially announced earlier this month.
The dealmaker, who has peerless connections in the Middle East and also brokered Abu Dhabi United’s takeover of Man City in 2008, made raising commercial income her number-one priority at St James’ Park.
During her time at the club, Newcastle’s revenue from sponsorship, merchandise and events nearly doubled and is expected to rise again when the club releases its 2023-24 accounts.
And even after her departure alongside husband and PCP Capital business partner Mehrdad Ghodoussi, it appears that the Magpies are persisting with her blueprint for commercial success.
- READ MORE NEWCASTLE FINANCE NEWS: ‘Questions will be asked’ after Newcastle United spend £20m on confirmed signing
Official Newcastle announcement highlights recent Amanda Staveley prediction
Newcastle begin their pre-season campaign away against Hull City on Saturday (27 July).
Thereafter, Eddie Howe’s side will head to more exotic digs in Japan, where they will face Urawa Red Diamonds and Yokohama F. Marinos on Wednesday (31 July) and Saturday (3 August) respectively.
Clubs are consistently looking for innovative new ways to squeeze more cash from pre-season tours, which often represent a chance for the likes of Newcastle to grown and nurture their overseas fanbase.
As announced by on Thursday (25 July), the club have launched a new pre-season match pass which will give supporters access to all six warm-up games for 2024-25 for £24.95.
In doing so, they are following in the footsteps of the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Man United, all of whom have their own streaming platforms.
As reported by, Newcastle’s new direct-to-consumer offering is a partnership with Endeavor Streaming.
The service is Newcastle’s first venture into the DTC market, which any sports business analysts believe is the new frontier in terms of extracting maximum value from media rights.
Staveley is among the experts who have advocated the DTC model in the past.
As quoted by earlier this year, Staveley said: “I think we mustn’t be complacent as rights owners, as live sport is the most valuable asset.
“But we’ve got to make sure we deliver great entertainment. As I know from my own personal experience, we try to do everything we can when we get a live game to make sure that we create as much artistry and magic around those games.
“When you’re in any different things that compete, the competition for those live rights is going to increase. So I think the more innovative we can get then the rights will continue to increase. But I think we have to understand: how are we going to deliver those rights in the next 10 years?
“What’s the Premier League going to look like? For instance, we just finished an international round [of broadcast rights].
“We’ve got other leagues going through their broadcast rights and there’s going to be a massive step change from the way we deliver and consume rights traditionally now.
“How are we going to do that in the next six, seven years?
“That’s going to mean that it might take a dip in valuation over a period while we get the infrastructure in place to make sure we can deliver a kind of direct-to-consumer model. At some point that will happen.
“Live sport is just so unique and we’ve got to make sure that we deliver it correctly.”
The direct-to-consumer model essentially entails cutting out the middleman, which in the Premier League’s case would be Sky Sports, TNT and Amazon.
In pre-season, Newcastle are free to package and sell their own rights, giving them the opportunity to put Staveley’s theory about the lucrative potential of DTC to the test.
TBR Analysis: How TV cash is linked to Newcastle’s pursuit of Noni Madueke and other transfer targets
While transfer business and TV rights are not directly related, the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules mean the two are tied together in terms of financial planning.
As the Premier League’s TV revenue has soared in recent years, so too has clubs’ expenditure in the transfer market.
Newcastle are believed to be close to signing Chelsea’s Noni Madueke, with the 22-year-old winger having reportedly agreed personal terms.
Like any transfer, the Madueke deal is contingent on Newcastle’s revenue, which in turn is partly anchored by the Premier League TV deal.
But while a big chunk of Premier League media income is distributed on a merit basis, much of the media rights are split evenly.
That means Newcastle face having to innovate through other media formats to proportionally increase their broadcast income faster than their rivals.
Through increasing use of the DTC model when permitted in pre-season, the Tynesiders will hope they can unshackle themselves from PSR and continue to target ambitious signings like Madueke.