A Premier League streaming service, referred to as the 'Netflix of Football' or 'Premflix', which could enhance club revenues and reduce expenses for supporters, has edged closer to reality.

Many might think the most monumental decision from last Friday's Premier League shareholder meeting was regarding amendments to rules on associated party transactions in another episode of the ongoing regulatory tussle with Manchester City.

Yet, an arguably more consequential resolution was presented to the league's 20 clubs and garnered less attention but may herald a significant shift in how fans globally engage with the most-watched football league.

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This critical vote sealed the end of a two-decade partnership with IMG, who currently produce 6,000 hours of content every season. This includes live broadcasting of all 380 matches and various magazine programs, delivered to 55 international broadcasters across 189 markets outside of Britain.

In a pivotal step, the Premier League clubs have unanimously agreed to take charge of producing and distributing their media content for global audiences from 2026 onwards.

By consolidating control over production, this could set the stage for the Premier League to introduce its own direct-to-consumer streaming service, an initiative previously touted as a "Netflix of Football" or "Premflix".

The NFL and NBA have already launched their own versions of this - NFL Game Pass and NBA League Pass. Europe often follows the lead of the more commercially mature US sports market.

Paolo Pescatore of PP Foresight commented: "In the first instance it feels like taking back ownership and control under one umbrella. This then in turn opens up new opportunities of distributing that content in different ways to existing and new viewers around the world.

"The direction of travel is clear as the adoption of connected devices continues to grow; we are all now streaming some form of television at any time and anywhere thanks to the internet via fibre or mobile networks."

Premflix 'a nice tool but not TV substitute'

A direct-to-consumer platform would offer numerous benefits to the Premier League. Not only would it increase reach, being available to anyone with a device, but it could also gather customer data and potentially multiply revenue.

A 2020 academic paper suggested that if the roughly 200 million people who currently subscribe to pay TV channels to watch the Premier League paid £10 a month for a dedicated streaming service, annual media rights income could skyrocket from £3.5bn to £24bn.

While this may be an idealised scenario and does not factor in the costs of creating the content, the platform on which to show it, and marketing costs it does highlight the potential financial rewards of the right product.

Francois Godard from Enders Analysis remarked on the Premier Leagues move to handle their international media rights, saying it "may be a clever move". However, he emphasized the necessity of broadcasters: "I don't see D2C [direct to consumer] as the future of football. Maybe it's an option you can use in certain markets," to negotiate better deals from media firms.

Further delving into American sports trends, Godard observed that long-term partnerships are formed between US leagues and broadcasters. He elaborated, saying: "I don't believe the NFL and NBA D2C platforms are a substitute for sales to broadcasters," highlighting their usefulness as: "They are a nice tool and a way to reach core fans."