The English Premier League in a global context

This chapter locates the origins of the English Premier League before examining how the relationship between the League and broadcasters has helped position it as one of world's most consumed sporting events. It outlines how football remains a dominant feature of processes and flows, transnational networks, and social and cultural relations that impact not only at a global level but also at a local level. The relationship between television and football emerged from the 1950s but it was the introduction of the BBC's Match of the Day in 1964 that transmitted football to a wider national audience. The start of the 1985/1986 season saw a television blackout due to a failed agreement between the Football League and both national broadcasters. In seeking to implement change, the 'big five' invited the two administrative bodies of English football, the FA and Football League, to separately propose a new league structure model that centred on better revenue retention for the elite clubs.