The Premier League cutting out the middle man? Perhaps they are taking their first steps with their latest announcement. Broadcast changes on the horizon, will the revolution be televised. That, another slice of Champions League midweek madness. Looking ahead to another weekend of top tier action. Issue 77. Go.

Even if you take just a passing interest in how the Premier League is broadcasted both home and abroad (3pm blackouts and all that), you surely would have read about the fabled concept of ‘Premflix’

The Netflix equivalent of the Premier League. Pay a single fee to a single central broadcasters, watch as many of the 380 games in a single season as you can. That is the promised land for many supporters, no more dealing with Sky Sports, TNT and the like.

However, for such a concept to get off the ground, a myriad of current deals would have to be wound down. The billions that the Premier League collects from its home broadcasters alone is enough to make your eyes water.

While if those in charge of the Premier League cut off the televisual tap overnight and went on their own, there would be a huge shortfall when it comes to TV money to each of the 20 member clubs. Borderline financial suicide to put it mildly.

With that all said, there is still an appetite to get a Direct-to- Consumer product off the ground and instead of going from one extreme to the other, a middle ground may have been found.

A middle ground found in Singapore and with a single subscription channel being made available for the 2026/27 all eyes will be on this pocket of Asia. If it is a success, then the rollout or test phase could continue further across South America and Africa.

Whether it is deemend a success depends on the take up of the concept and that will be driven by the price point. It will come as no surprise, that any fee to watch the Premier League in Singapore will be far less than in the UK.

But the fee is not the main issue for now, it is all about a proof of concept and if the launch in Singapore can be considered as the opening of Pandora’s Box, then it will make the next rights tender in the UK (due in the next couple of years) extremely interesting.

Executives at Sky will be watching with further interest, their business model underpinned by the beaming of Premier League matches up and down the country. It’s all we’ve ever known since the competition began 1992, is it finally time for a change?

Let me know what you think. Do you fancy a bit of PremFlix in the next couple of years?

Back in Issue 50, I made reference to Paramount+ snatching the Champions League rights in the UK. Fast forward to Issue 77 and they may have another reason to be cheerful - or one rather big reason.

Themselves and Netflix have been going head-to-head in a bid to buy Warner Bros Discovery (WBD). What does that mean from a UK football perspective? WBD own half of TNT Sports in the UK, they are now set to be purchased by Paramount+.

This means that Paramount+ could cannabalise the platform that TNT Sports already has in the UK. It could certainly see them cannablising their existing contracts (Premier League and FA Cup) on to their own platform.

Even if a PremFlix did not go ahead, it may mean good news for those armchair viewers, technically they would have one less subscription to pay each month. Problem is, with less competition, the prices have a tendency to go up and nobody sitting at home wins at all.

That is unless a PremFlix comes into play. A lot of moving parts, the moving far from complete on this front.

Juventus push Galatasaray close before running out of puff, Atalanta get the better of Borussia Dortmund in dramatic fashion. Inter play like a bunch of bozo’s against Bodo Glimt - mixed fortunes for the Italian outfits.

One Italian club in the Round of 16, a clean sweep of six Premier League representatives in the knockout phase, English football has a 37.5% chance of lifting the Champions League in Budapest just three months from now.

Newcastle joining the five Premier League counterparts already safely in the Round of 16 after earning enough league phase points, the Magpies not overly detered by any potential route to Hungary in May.

Especially when you look at the left side of the bracket, six previous winners on that side. One on the other. If there was ever a genuine opportunity for Arsenal to finally join Europe’s elite, then this must surely be it.

Now that the league phase and playoffs are behind us, I think its fair to say that it has thrown up some incredible games. Even looking at Tuesday and Wednesday’s outcomes would solidify that statement on their own.

At the same time, it feels like the Champions League is semi-operating in its own orbit. It almost feels non-canon in terms of the season as a whole. English dominance tilting the balance of power in the direction, the concept of European football not what it was.

Obviously it all matters in terms of who picks up the silverware but with the Premier League representing the haves and everyone else the havenots - not to mention, their near perpetual extra berth that they’ll be awarded, it does feel like games for games sake.

Then again, that point could be blown out of the water if PSG, Bayern or Real Madrid are outright winners but if they are not, this may be the first sign towards even this format not being fit for purpose.

If English dominance continues, what breaks first: the format or the illusion of competition?

A look at the main talking points as we head into the upcoming Premier League weekend schedule.

What do you mean there’s Friday night football? Nobody told me. Genuinely had no idea that Wolves were playing host to Aston Villa this evening. There’s a slight chance that the game may have already finished by the time this newsletter goes out. Pretend it hasn’t and imagine a West Midlands derby.

Wolves need to win every game from here on in to have any chance of avoiding the drop. Rob Edwards’ men now running the gauntlet against a Villa side that will be wary of Manchester United looming over their shoulders. One win in their last three is their form coming into the game, one win in four would be cause for concern.

Bournemouth one of the form teams in the division, form that has taken them back into the conversation regarding Europe places. Depending on who wins what, extra berths may be unlocked. The safest method for Andoni Iraola’s men to make their debut tilt in Europe is by finishing seventh in the table.

A position that Sunderland looked good for before the turn of the year, now their focus may simply pivot to finishing higher than Newcastle at the end of the season. Regis Le Bris’ men well beaten by Fulham at the Stadium of Light last weekend, defeat at the Vitality Stadium will surely hamper any feint European bid once and for all.

All Burnley can do is keep on going, they know they are up against it in terms of the relegation battle, Scott Parker and his players have to roll up their sleeves and turn grit and determination into league wins. Should they manage to achieve that over the next couple of weeks, a survival bid make take place at Turf Moor.

Saturday sees them play host to a Brentford side who were out of sorts last Saturday at home to Brighton. A rare blip for the Bees but not enough to deter the club’s owners to give Keith Andrews a new contract. The Irish manager’s debut season going from good to great, it would get even better if they can return to winning ways at the weekend.

Back-to-back Premier League wins for Liverpool, driving down the gap between themselves and Chelsea in the race for fifth. Arne Slot’s men play first this weekend, the ideal opportunity to crank the pressure up on the Stamford Bridge outfit. Admittedly the last six points that the Reds have earned have been far from pretty, at least the job is getting done.

While West Ham will look to complete the job when it comes to moving out of the relegation zone. Like Liverpool they play a day before their nearest rivals, a win at Anfield and Nottingham Forest would start their clash at Brighton on Sunday in the bottom three. At this stage of the season and with how Liverpool have had to grind out wins, dont’t rule anything out.

All the Champions League formalities completed in midweek, now Newcastle have to get back down to Premier League business. If they are to get into Europe again next season, their only route may be becoming the Kings of Europe. A hard task, albeit not impossible. Maybe Eddie Howe could also do with the backup plan of a top-seven finish.

Saturday sees them play host to an Everton side that also have European aspirations - then again I think any of the top 12 can lay some claim to showing their passports at customs in just a few months. David Moyes’ men having lost both their last two league outings, a third may leave them with nothing to declare.

Leeds just within the threshold of the relegation battle at present, the six-point margin of error giving them a couple of weeks respite. They may need at least one of them when you consider the size of their weekend task. The visit of Manchester City awaits, but at the same time Daniel Farke’s men have lost just one of their last six.

Good form but not as good as their upcoming opponents, City having picked 13 points from the last 15 on offer. Their hunt of Arsenal shows no signs of slowing down. All Pep Guardiola’s men can do is keep winning, maximum points at Elland Road and rivals Arsenal will need to give maximum effort the following day.

An impressive showing at Brentford last weekend, now Brighton have to make sure it is not just a flash in the pan. Fabian Hurzeler’s men probably one win away from marking themselves safe in the Premier League for another season. A winning streak may even thrust them into the battle for European football.

Nottingham Forest’s own battle for European football continued after their aggregate win over Fenerbahce, Vitor Pereira’s men rewarded with a Round of 16 tie against Danish outfit Midtjylland. That is the focus for another day, the focus is now keeping West Ham at arm’s length and after picking up just two points from 12, that arm is becoming a fist.

Manchester United still unbeaten under interim boss Michael Carrick .16 points from 18 is a phenomenal return considering how abject the Red Devils were when he took over. At what point does Sir Jim Ratcliffe just give him the job full time? Not a decision that will be made until the end of the season, but another win on Sunday would make the call a lot easier.

Standing in their way of a sixth league win in seven attempts is Crystal Palace. A season that has high and low points along the way but the Eagles could still crown it off by winning the Europa Conference League in May. AEK Lanarca should be no match in the Round of 16, Sunday’s trip to Old Trafford steeper on the difficulty curve.

Fulham’s inconsistency has been their achilles heel this season but then again, somebody has to finish mid-table and with the way they have been playing in recent weeks, the Cottagers are probably the safest bet for splitting the Premier League’s deck at the end of the season. They however will look to build on their win over Sunderland and this could mean bad news for Tottenham.

As for Spurs, their 4-1 defeat to Arsenal was never going to define what happens under Igor Tudor but it certainly offered an element of indication. If they can put that behind them and pick up a massive Premier League win, then the dark clouds over this pocket of North London may start to break. Anything less than a win and its going to get gloomy.

Is the true test of Arsenal’s title mettle? The subplot of a North London derby and the potential hurdle that everyone expected it to be was nothing more than a fantasy in hindsight, the visit of fellow crosstown rivals Chelsea is likely to be a far greater reality when it comes to the Gunners finally getting their hands back on the Premier League trophy.

A lot will depend on what Liverpool do the day before. If they do get the better of West Ham, it will only give Chelsea extra impetus to match the result of their top five enemies. That in itself will make life tougher for Arsenal but everytime we say things are going to get tough, they make things look rather easy. More of the same on Sunday?

Not the figurines that used to be on sale in the late 1990s but the potential latest move for Jesse Lingard. The former England international has been linked with a move to Brazil and Corinthians.

Feels lilke one of those Football Manager transfers in about Season 7 of your save when everything starts to get a little random.

Josh Sargent is swapping East Anglia for Canada as a move from Norwich to Toronto has finally been completed. £15,5m the fee, it could be go as high as £20m. Feels like this one has been going on for ages. I think all parties are glad it has finally been completed.

Sheffield Wednesday’s plight worsens after suffering relegation to League One as their search for new owners continues. Preferred bidders pulling out, administrators working down the list to see who still wants to get involved.

The only solace that Wednesday fans can take right now is that someone, somewhere always wants to take on a football club thinking they can be a hero. The Hillsborough outfit definitely need one right now.

Celtic may not have managed to overturn their 4-1 first leg deficit at the hands of Stuttgart in the Europa League but Thursday’s 1-0 win in the return would have certainly been a confidence booster before their trip to Ibrox on Sunday.

This feels like the most important derby clash in Glasgow for quite some time, even more so if Hearts beat Aberdeen the day before. Who will be smiling in the Scottish Premiership when the dust settles on another pivotal weekend?

Did you miss the deadline?

Right, that’s the end of issue 77 as word continues to spread around the football world.

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Issue 78 drops Tuesday and I’ll be back with another round of insight, analysis and trends that matter. Any feedback or comments on this issue, contact me below:

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