Collective selling of media rights as instrument for competitive balance in European major football leagues

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Abstract
• Table of content
• List of figures
• List of tables
• List of abbreviations
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Target markets
  • 2.1 European professional team sports market
  • 2.2 European television market
    • 2.2.1 Broadcasting in sports
    • 2.2.2 Legal background
• 3 Theoretical frameworks
  • 3.1 Multi-sided markets
  • 3.2 Analysis dimensions
    • 3.2.1 Theory of competitive balance
    • 3.2.2 Theory of media rights selling systems
    • 3.2.3 Theory of revenue sharing systems
• 4 Status quo
  • 4.1 Competitive balance
  • 4.2 Media rights selling systems
  • 4.3 Revenue sharing systems
  • 4.4 Influence factors
• 5 Research design
  • 5.1 Method discussion
  • 5.2 Hypotheses
  • 5.3 Design of the analysis
• 6 Presentation and evaluation of the analysis
  • 6.1 Results of the RSD
  • 6.2 Results of the CR5 and CR2
  • 6.3 Statistical analysis of the results
  • 6.4 Evaluation of the hypotheses
• 7 Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

The primary objective of this Master Thesis is to investigate whether collective selling of media rights contributes to increased competitive balance in major European football leagues over the long term. The thesis explores this question through the analysis of data from six European leagues over a 30-year period.

• Competitive Balance in European Football Leagues
• Media Rights Selling Systems (Decentralized vs. Centralized)
• Impact of Media Rights on Financial and Sporting Power
• Analysis of Competitive Balance Measurement Tools
• Influence of External Factors on Competitive Balance

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The thesis begins by introducing the research question and outlining the key themes of the study. Chapter 2 provides a detailed overview of the target markets, including the European professional team sports market and the European television market, with specific focus on broadcasting in sports and legal background. Chapter 3 delves into the theoretical frameworks relevant to the research, such as multi-sided markets, competitive balance, media rights selling systems, and revenue sharing systems.

Chapter 4 presents the current status quo regarding competitive balance, media rights selling systems, revenue sharing systems, and influence factors in European football leagues. Chapter 5 outlines the research design, method discussion, hypotheses, and the design of the analysis. Chapter 6 presents and evaluates the results of the analysis, including the results of the Ratio of Standard Deviation (RSD), Concentration Ratio 5 (CR5), and Concentration Ratio 2 (CR2) measurements.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This Master Thesis explores the relationship between media rights selling systems and competitive balance in European football leagues. Key concepts include competitive balance, media rights, decentralized and centralized selling systems, revenue sharing, financial and sporting power, and analysis tools like the Ratio of Standard Deviation, Concentration Ratio 5, and Concentration Ratio 2.