Premflix and tourist fans predicted as football's future in 2026

A 1994 forecast eerily predicted today’s football landscape, including pay-per-view games and the rise of tourist fans over loyal supporters.

1994 predictions come true A 1994 clip of football experts forecasting the sport’s future recently resurfaced, stunning fans with how many predictions hit the mark. Among the trio was Arsenal fanzine editor Mike Collins, who foresaw stadium entry via credit cards, a drop in die-hard supporters, and an influx of casual fans chasing trophies. "I and all other old-style fans want no part of it at all," he remarked. While not every prediction came true, some were shockingly accurate. ## Media control over football grows Neil Duncanson, a former broadcast executive, predicted that television would dominate football entirely in the following century. He foresaw matchgoing fans becoming irrelevant to clubs, existing only to provide dramatic backdrops for TV cameras. "If they are part of the equation, it will only be because television companies want them to provide the spectacular background, so that they can bring their pictures into millions of homes," he explained. These insights came from the programme Standing Room Only, which aired between 1991 and 1994. ## Sky’s rise changed football forever In 1992, Sky secured Premier League rights in a £304m five-year deal, and Duncanson warned that broadcast power would explode beyond imagination. "If you think television is too powerful in sport now, in 10 years' time you won't believe the control that they'll have," he said. He also envisioned fans watching games via pay-per-view on local cable stations, predicting direct payments from phones. "It's probably going to be done on pay-per-view, so you'll put a card and a number on your telephone, tap it in, five quid docked from your account, the game pops up." ## Subscription model dominates today Over 30 years later, subscription-funded broadcasters still control top-flight English football. In 2023, the Premier League struck a record £6.7bn domestic TV deal with Sky and TNT, covering up to 270 live games per season starting in 2025-26. Duncanson called the shift "not rocket science," noting that following the money made the path clear. "Sky had changed the game by spending so much money on rights because it established them as a major satellite power, and they continue to this day," he reflected. ## Premflix and direct-to-customer future Duncanson predicts a new era of broadcast control, introducing the acronym DTC—direct-to-customer. Fans are pushing back against rising subscription costs, demanding to pay only for their team’s games. "Why do I have to pay so much money? I don't want to watch cricket or rugby or motorsport or whatever. I just want to watch my team play," they argue. Following the NFL and NBA models, the Premier League may launch its own streaming service, possibly called 'Premflix,' in markets like Singapore. ## Clubs prioritize tourist fans over loyal supporters Alex Fynn, a Premier League consultant, warned that clubs would deprioritize traditional fans in favor of wealthier, transient supporters. "A customer can take his business elsewhere. A fan cannot. The clubs knew that and they exploited it," he said. Fynn predicted that rising player wages would force clubs to favor 'tourist fans' who pay more for tickets and merchandise, offsetting costs. He highlighted fan-led governance reforms, including the new independent regulator, as fans' best hope against overpricing. ## Spending caps and financial struggles ahead Fynn speculated that UEFA’s spending caps could eventually influence the Premier League, where clubs currently spend up to 85% of income on wages, rising to 115% under the new squad cost ratio system. UEFA’s limit is 70%. "In due course we might have a more even playing field, in the sense that the clubs won't be able to pay the players so much, whereby they won't need to charge the fans so much for their ticket prices. But of course they will. As long as they can get away with it, they will," he noted. Lower-league clubs face even greater financial strain, with average losses in every tier and no sign of improvement. ## Small clubs face existential threats Fynn warned that the shift away from matchday revenue endangers lower-tier clubs. "Ten years ago, matchday was all-important. Today broadcast is all-important," he said. Yet matchday income remains vital for smaller teams, many of which are drowning in debt. "It's a system that cannot continue like this and if, for example, the owners pulled the plug on the smaller clubs, half of the EFL would go out of business tomorrow," he cautioned. Recent examples include Sheffield Wednesday’s 15-point deduction and Chelsea’s £262m loss in 2024-25.