The Premier League are facing a new challenge from elite clubs who have commissioned reports to support their case for more money from TV deals at home and abroad.
Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre's public desire for a bigger slice of the overseas monies led to angry exchanges at the clubs' summit last week, after PL chief executive Richard Scudamore had stressed the importance of a collective TV approach.
But Liverpool have taken the lead in the top group of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal - whose foreign owners are determined to maximise TV income - in questioning whether the Premier League's domestic model, with Sky Sports as the dominant partner, delivers them the best returns.
Consultants including Creative Artists Agency have been hired to detail the alternatives to Sky. The CAA report was delivered before European boss Peter Kenyon, the former Chelsea chief executive, left the company last month.
CAA advice is that clubs could increase their TV revenues if there was more competition for Sky, who have built up an almost unassailable position in partnership with the PL over 20 years.
Televising a lot more matches live would be one way of ensuring extra income. However Premier League rules, which require a 14-club majority to be passed, protect the smaller teams - who are happier with their TV returns - from machinations by the big guns.
And Scudamore is banking on Middle East network Al Jazeera providing competition for Sky in the next PL tender, especially as there are doubts about ESPN's appetite for the fray.
A PL spokesperson said: 'CAA were trawling for business and, according to our information, none of the clubs were receptive.'
