TWO days after the final Premier League table was decided on Sunday, it could be argued that the rankings that really matter were published yesterday afternoon.

Flicking through the list of total Premier League payments for the 2010-11 season, a number of interesting points become apparent.

The first is that, financially at least, it is more important to increase the number of live television appearances a club makes in a season than it is to improve that club's finishing position by four or five places.

To illustrate this situation, take Newcastle United and Sunderland. The Black Cats finished two places above their North-East rivals after a dramatic end to the season, yet Newcastle's income from prize money and television payments was £47.28m compared to Sunderland's of £46.37m.

Why the difference? Because Newcastle had 16 of their matches broadcast live on either Sky Television or ESPN, while only 11 of Sunderland's games were beamed across the nation.

As a result, Newcastle's facility fees (the portion of the television money that is match dependent) were more than £2.4m greater than Sunderland's.

All 20 Premier League clubs received flat payments of £13.8m for domestic coverage and £17.9m from overseas television, a figure that underlines the growing importance of the non-domestic market, but Newcastle's perceived popularity among the viewing public made them the seventh most screened team in the division.

Sunderland received approximately £1.5m more than Newcastle for finishing tenth rather than 12th (each individual Premier League place in worth £756,756), but that was insufficient to bridge the gap in television payments.

So while the concession of a last-minute goal to West Brom on Sunday might have cost Newcastle around £2.25m, the fact their previous game at Chelsea was broadcast live significantly softened the damage. Over the course of a season, each live television appearance is worth more than £582,000.

If that sum seems excessive in a time of supposed economic austerity, then the total amount of cash being lavished on the 20 Premier League clubs is almost incomprehensible.

This season, Manchester United became the first English club to break through the £60m barrier for broadcasting income, with their payment totalling £60.43m.

Chelsea's income was the next highest (£57.74m), and in total, the 20 Premier League clubs shared out £952.75m of television-related income.

Indeed, factor in the four parachute payments that were paid to Middlesbrough, Burnley, Hull City and Porstmouth, and the Premier League's total bill amounted to more than £1bn.

The league's ability to generate money has clearly not been hampered by the global recession, and for all that leagues within a league undoubtedly exist, yesterday's figures convey a degree of equitable distribution that is not apparent in a number of other leading European nations.

Blackpool were the lowest paid Premier League club this season - the Seasiders had ten of their games televised live, an agreed bare minimum, as opposed to the 14 of bottom club West Ham - yet they still pocketed £39.84m from their nine months in the top-flight.

Add in the £48m in parachute payments that relegated clubs are now guaranteed to receive in the four years following their demotion, and promotion to the Premier League can be valued at around £88m.

No pressure, but that's what Swansea City and Reading will be playing for when they meet at Wembley on Monday.

While Spanish clubs are free to sell their own television rights to the highest bidder, creating a huge divide between a Barcelona and a less attractive club such as Almeria, the Premier League's collective bargaining agreement establishes a minimum income for all the teams in the division.

"We believe that our income distribution mechanism, the most equitable of Europe's major football leagues, rewards sporting success while also guaranteeing a significant amount of broadcast revenue to each club in order that they plan from one season to the next," said chief executive Richard Scudamore. "We believe the way we distribute broadcast income plays a part in allowing each club to compete at the highest level."

It may still be far from perfect, but for once the socialist rhetoric appears justified.