Performance and Revenues in European Football: Clubs’ Media Visibility and Brand Value

Abstract This paper contributes to understanding the financial situation of European football clubs and the role of their media visibility and historical brand status. By estimating production and revenue equations, the study tests hypotheses concerning the relationships between teams’ sporting performance (current and past), historical status, media exposure, annual revenues, and annual wages. The empirical analysis is carried out on an extensive dataset, which comprises records, for seasons 1995/1996 to 2015/2016, of teams competing in the 1st division of the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and Ligue 1. In the study, we use two innovative variables: the Elo Rating, as a ‘proxy’ to capture clubs’ historical sporting status (brand value), and the Media Visibility Index, to measure clubs’ abilities to capture the attention of the fans and the media. These two variables have proven to be key assets in the revenue-generating capacity of European football clubs.