'Premflix' and tourist fans - future of football predictions

Former broadcasting executive Neil Duncanson and author Alex Fynn, who made remarkably accurate predictions about football's future in 1994, discuss what the game will look like in 10 years' time. By Ciaran Varley BBC Sport Journalist "If this is the future of football, you can stuff it." A clip from 1994 showing experts making predictions for where football would be in 10 years recently resurfaced on social media, and fans online cannot believe how prescient some of their forecasts proved to be. Neil Duncanson, a former broadcast executive, predicted that, "television will run football completely in the next century". Meanwhile, Alex Fynn, an author and football consultant, divined that match-going fans would be seen by clubs as "incidental". These excerpts are taken from Standing Room Only, a BBC football programme that ran between 1991 and 1994.

BBC Sport caught up with Duncanson and Fynn to reflect on their Nostradamus moment - and get their take on where our national game will be 10 years from now. View original content on X The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip X post by BBC Archive Allow X content? Accept and continue The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of X post by BBC Archive In 1992, Sky won the rights to broadcast the newly established Premier League in a £304m five-year deal.

Two years later, Duncanson predicted that the power broadcasters had over football would proliferate to an extent not yet seen. Duncanson also speculated that fans in 2004 would watch football through subscription and pay-per-view services. "There is a bit of a push-back now with subscription prices rising, from football fans who say, 'Why do I have to pay so much money? "The Premier League next season are going to start their own channel in Singapore. "You'll be watching 'Premflix' or 'Fifa TV' or 'Uefa+', or any of them who have got that level of valuable football." Fynn, who was involved in the creation of the Premier League through his work as a consultant for the Football Association, believes the increased emphasis on broadcast revenue and international audiences has led top-flight English clubs to deprioritise their traditional fanbases.

In a decade's time, Fynn predicts that spiralling player wages would further impact match-going fans. That review led to the establishment last year of an independent football regulator in England. He speculated that Uefa's spending caps may eventually influence the Premier League. Uefa's SCR spending limit is 70%, which all clubs in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League must adhere to. As long as they can get away with it, they will." Fynn believes that the devaluing of matchday revenue harms clubs in the lower tiers of English football.

"Ten years ago, matchday was all-important. "But matchday is absolutely vital for the small clubs. And yet, when you look at the leagues, every league - the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two - there are average losses for those leagues of millions and millions of pounds. Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast Get football news sent straight to your phone Former broadcasting executive Neil Duncanson and author Alex Fynn, who made remarkably accurate predictions about football's future in 1994, discuss what the game will look like in 10 years' time. 'Premflix' and tourist fans - future of football predictions