For John Henry and Fenway Sports Group it was the news that they expected but confirmation of which gives them plenty of reasons to be bullish about the coming seasons.
The financial issues that arrived through the pandemic made for an uncertain future in the short to medium term for clubs across Europe, with owners concerned that the media rights might not continue on their upward trajectory while fan interest may wane in a product played behind closed doors that relies so much on atmosphere and passion to drive said media rights.
Last year there was some positivity around the fact that the Premier League retained status quo with regards to the domestic TV deal, with BT Sport, Sky and Amazon Prime Video all agreeing to roll over the deal for the last three years for the same fee for the next three years, from 2022 to 2025. That is a deal that is worth some £5bn for the Premier League and its member clubs.
But any concerns over whether the Premier League would lose any of its lustre in the eyes of the international market have been blown away after the League confirmed to club owners this week that revenues for both markets would top £10bn over the next three years.
READ MORE: 'A lot to ask' - Ian Wright makes Diogo Jota claim and tips Liverpool forward to leave
READ MORE: 'I don’t believe him' - Pep Guardiola responds to Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool claim
For the first time in Premier League history the value of the media rights for the overseas market are now more valuable than the domestic ones, with huge sums arriving from abroad, thanks in no small part to the bumper £2bn deal that was thrashed out with US broadcasters back in November.
According to The Times the value of international rights will be £5.3bn over the next three years, with the domestic rights worth £5.1bn and an uplift of 16 per cent in commercial activity to £430m taking the overall value to £10.5bn.
Media rights and their continued upward trend is what has drawn investment into the Premier League, and with the way that the money is distributed, as well as commercial rights set to rise by £88m, clubs are set to benefit enormously over the coming seasons.
For Liverpool, a club that aims to work within a stricter financial structure than most, continued success on the field will be more important than ever, especially when it comes to the need to re-invest money into the first team to maintain such success amid the challenges presented by the huge spending power the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and now Newcastle United possess.
Club chairmen were informed of the figures at a Premier League shareholders meeting in London this week.
Clubs receive the money through central payments from the Premier League, with merit payments, equal share, commercial rights fees and facility fees all forming part of what clubs receive.
The central payments made to Premier League clubs for 2020/21 reveal that the Reds received £150m. Of that sum, £26.2m arrived through facility fees, which are paid out based upon the number of times a team appears on a live broadcast. That figure was the second highest in the Premier League last season, behind only Chelsea and almost £2m more than champions Manchester City. Liverpool featured 29 times on Premier League live coverage last season.
Commercial revenues, shared equally, were also increased from £5m to £6m. Equal share payments currently stands at £34m.
All of the above figures will be rising from next season onwards.
Winning the title, thanks in part to the rise in merit payments based upon the new figures, would deliver £176m as opposed to £153m.
Financial certainty is something that FSG very much like to have, with longer locked in deals something that emboldens investment into both the playing side and infrastructure. For the first time the Premier League accepted tenders for six-year rights cycles in some territories.
The money now flooding into the Premier League widens the gap between the Premier League and their international competitors, something that is of concern to major clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid, both still aiming to launch a European Super League, whose supporters will continue to expect domination in Europe even though the finances coming into Spanish football are now dwarfed by the Premier League. That is something that is reflected across Europe's other major leagues.
For Liverpool and FSG it is a welcome boost, but the need to be successful year in, year out has never been more valuable.
