How much do PSG earn from TV, matchday and commercial revenue?

Cameron Smith

21 Apr 2023 08:00 CDT
6 min read

Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Neymar, 2022/23 — © ProShots

The 2023 version of the Deloitte Money List has been released and it shows the various sources of revenue for the top 20 clubs in world football.

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The list is dominated by the Premier League, with 11 of its 20 entrants coming from there, while 16 of the top 30 are based in England. PSG have emerged since their takeover by QSI in 2011 as one of the most attractive propositions in world sports.

HOW DO PSG EARN REVENUE?

PSG’s revenue generation comes from three distinct places; matchday revenue, broadcast revenue and commercial revenue. These three areas combine to create a club’s overall revenue for a season.

PSG were previously a perennial underachiever in French football, and were unable to even compete for domestic league titles until the takeover by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011; since then, the club has been able to enjoy an explosion of revenue across all fronts.

WHAT IS MATCHDAY REVENUE?

Matchday revenue consists of all revenue generated on a matchday. This includes ticket sales, food and merchandise, as well as hospitality offerings. PSG’s Parc des Princes is among one of the smaller capacities among Europe’s elite clubs, at just under 50,000.

But there are suitable conferencing and hospitality suites, as well as high-end ticket pricing which allows PSG to retain a reasonably high level of matchday revenue. Their deep runs in the Champions League in recent seasons have also aided keeping this number high.

Year	Matchday Revenue (€m)
2015	78
2016	93
2017	90
2018	101
2019	116
2020	92
2021	17
2022	132

WHAT IS COMMERCIAL REVENUE?

Commercial revenue is everything related to the overall sponsorship and brand activities of a football club. In the modern game this takes on many additional forms. Previously the only additional commercial revenue would be related to in-stadium advertising and perhaps a shirt sponsor arrangement.

But now various parts of real estate attached to the club can be monetised; everything from sleeve sponsors, to sponsors of the stadiums themselves, commercial managers are looking at any possible way to successfully generate revenue by building relationships with a whole host of brands.

PSG’s commercial revenue utterly dwarfs the rest of Ligue 1 and though much of it is generated through on-field performance and extraordinary deals with the likes of Michael Jordan’s branding, their extravagant spending which has been in breach of Financial Fair Play, also contributes massively.

Their front three of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar was expensively assembled but also come with significant commercial value to the brand, which has helped them record €383m in commercial revenue for the 2022 financial year.

Year	Commercial Revenue (€m)
2015	297
2016	305
2017	274
2018	313
2019	363
2020	297
2021	337
2022	383

WHAT IS BROADCASTING REVENUE?

Broadcasting revenue relates to money earned by the negotiation of showing a club’s matches domestically and internationally in each competition they are entered into.

Domestic TV deals are the most lucrative, with the country in which the league is played happy to pay inflated fees to fill their broadcast schedules with as many football matches as possible. Leagues are also free to negotiate with individual countries and regions to show their matches in that territory.

PSG are significantly hamstrung by Ligue 1’s inability to not only sign off on a quality domestic arrangement, but also make any kind of imprint in international television markets.

Mediapro’s collapsed deal post-coronavirus, one that was due to bring almost €1 Billion revenue a season, was replaced by an agreement between Amazon and Canal + at just over a 50% reduction.

And Ligue 1’s overseas footprint is virtually none; the €80m per season they earn would barely cover PSG’s front three. As a result PSG drastically fall behind their continental rivals in this space.

Year	Broadcasting Revenue (€m)
2015	106
2016	123
2017	122
2018	128
2019	157
2020	150
2021	202
2022	139

TOTAL REVENUE

PSG’s frankly unfeasible commercial revenue for a club in such a market goes a long way to help keep them competitive in the revenue space, particularly when their broadcast deals are so weak in comparison to their rivals.

And their rampant disregard for FFP regulations means they can spend on an extravagant squad which allows their commercial capacity to remain high - as well as the desire to come and watch the team play.