The Premier League could receive a bill for £750million if the league season cannot be completed, following the announcement that all professional football in England is suspended until at least April.
Football across Europe is at risk of losing billions of pounds in television money due to the coronavirus outbreak, with the Premier League in jeopardy of losing out on £750m.
Broadcasters who are contracted to show a full 38-game league season are unlikely to pay up in full if the season is abandoned.
And one senior broadcasting figure told The Times : “The commercial reality for the Premier League and UEFA is that if they don’t complete their seasons then they are in breach of their broadcasting contracts.
“You would have broadcasters from all around the world saying, ‘In that case we are not paying for the season.’ For the Premier League you are talking around £3 billion income a year from overseas and domestic TV rights.
"There would also be financial implications if the competitions were squeezed, so fewer matches were played.”
The Premier League had been planning to proceed with this weekend's matches as scheduled until Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta tested positive for coronavirus and was soon followed by Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.
As such, the Premier League, English Football League, Women's Super League and Women's Championship have postponed matches until at least Friday 3 April.
But that date is looking increasingly ambitious and further setbacks are likely following the government's decision to impose a ban on large public gatherings from next weekend onwards.
The Premier League is set to meet on Thursday, after UEFA convenes via video conference on Tuesday to discuss whether Euro 2020 can go ahead.
One option is for the Euros to be pushed back a year, allowing European leagues to conclude in the summer. This may be a preferred option for the Premier League so they can avoid being hit with the huge bill from television broadcasters.
