Six months into its contract, Guangzhou-based WinTV is reported to have sold just 20,000 of its Rmb 588 (US$81) annual subscriptions, well short of the projected 1.2 million target and a tiny fraction of the 10 million who used to watch games for free in a country of 1.3 billion.
The broadcaster has tried to salvage the situation by striking a deal with Chinese web portal Sina to offers webcast season tickets for 380 yuan, or each match at 3.8 yuan.
Industry insiders say that little over a thousand fans have bought into the online package.
With Italian, Spanish and German football still free-to-air, many fans have simply switched to other leagues rather than pay for the Premiership.
The figures have sparked concern, with big clubs reportedly putting pressure on the league to get out of the deal as it is harming their sponsors’ reach in China.
“We’re only six months into a three-year contract. If subscriptions grow, current concerns will be alleviated,” noted a Premier League spokesman.
“What is going to drive subscriptions in late July and early August, when interest levels should be at its peak? English football will be invisible in the run-up to the Olympics,” says Rohan Lightfoot, business director of Carat’s adidas China account.
Sources inside Chinese state-run sports channel CCTV5, which used to air games for free, say they were surprised the Premier League went with the WinTV deal.
“It has to balance sponsorship with exposure and it went with the money. And in its scale of earnings, it is not that much money for even less exposure. Of course CCTV is interested in screening EPL games, but we are not prepared to pay as much as WinTV,” said a source, adding that the channel would be only too happy to step in should the existing deal fall apart. “We’re trying to promote the idea that people should pay for this service,” a WinTV spokeswoman said.
“It may take some time.”