FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Chelsea - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - May 21, 2023 Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan lifts the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Premier League Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith/File Photo
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Manchester City's third consecutive Premier League title in 2023 earned the club a record 176.2 million pounds ($223 million), a 15% hike over the previous season, the league revealed in their Annual Report released on Friday.
Arsenal earned £172.2 million for finishing runners-up, while Manchester United were paid £168.3 million followed by Newcastle United £164.3 million.
Tottenham, Chelsea, West Ham United, Everton and Nottingham Forest all earned more than clubs that finished above them in the table due to more games shown on live TV.
Even last-placed Southampton, who were relegated to the Championship, were paid £103.6 million.
Other highlights the league outlined in their 2022-23 report included attendance, with stadiums that were 98.7% full -- a slight increase over the previous season -- with 43% of attendees aged 18 to 34, and 28% of them female.
The viewing audience of 900 million made it the most widely watched soccer league in the world.
"The season culminated in two of our clubs victorious in UEFA club competitions," the league's chief executive Richard Masters said in the report.
"After winning the Premier League (and FA Cup), Manchester City claimed their first Champions League as part of a treble, while West Ham United's Europa Conference League victory earned them their first major silverware in more than 40 years."
The league announced new record-breaking TV deals in December with Sky Sports, TNT Sports and BBC Sport from 2025 to '29.
Those agreements underline "the strength of the Premier League and is testament to our clubs, players and managers who continue to deliver the world's most competitive football in full stadiums, and to supporters, who create an unrivalled atmosphere every week," Masters said.
($1 = 0.7905 pounds)
(Reporting by Lori Ewing)
