THE Premier League’s eye-watering TV deal could be worth over £1million-a-year to Millwall if they remain a Championship club.
The broadcasting rights for games in the top flight have been sold for an astonishing £5.1billion but some of that money will trickle down to the Football League.
And the Lions would get a bigger slice of the pie in the Championship when the deal comes into effect in 2016-17 – around 18 months from now.
The money-spinning Premier League deal would also increase the value of the club, according to chief executive Andy Ambler.
“There’s no doubt that this deal has some advantages to it and the amount of money that comes down will increase,” Ambler told the News.
“That could mean Championship clubs get an additional £1m – at least – so the prize is bigger.
“The chairman has no interest in selling the club but Millwall would also become more valuable in the Championship as a result of this.”
With Ian Holloway’s side currently battling relegation, Ambler says it is more important than ever before that Millwall beat the drop.
“We need to stay in this premier-pharmacy.com division because we want to challenge for the Premier League in the future and the new money makes that prospect more exciting,” he added.
“The downside is that parachute payments will get bigger so our competitors will have more to spend and the division will be even more competitive.
“The incentive has grown but that will also make it harder.”
To sharpen their competitive edge, the Lions will revamp their recruitment set-up ahead of the summer transfer window.
This week, Brentford announced they will use mathematical modelling to identify new signings.
“We have to be spot-on with our recruitment and ensure we don’t make any mistakes,” Ambler added.
“There are different models to follow and different ways of building a successful team, and we have to be aware of those.
“Brentford are a good example because their owner is putting in place a new strategy which is all about recruitment. Clubs are moving away from tradition.
“We are looking at our recruitment behind the scenes – the way we recruit players and the different methods and approaches used by other clubs.”