Could the T V times be changing f or Scottish game?

Tyldesley opens the door to new broadcast model after Covid experiment

WE are living in the new normal. Out of adversity, there could come opportunity for Scottish football.

The manner in which this chance has arisen could never have been foreseen, but events of recent months may have opened eyes and altered opinions. Rather than follow, the SPFL could now lead for a change.

As the game lurched into crisis during the summer, the broadcast deal with Sky Sports was one of the cornerstones of the conversation. A five- year, £ 30 million- per- season agreement kicked in last month and has provided a degree of stability to clubs when coronavirus has threatened their very existence.

The loyalty of supporters has been even more important, though, as – at short notice and with few questions asked or answered - season tickets have been paid for, strips bought and club TV packages snapped up.

And that is where there could be a conversation to be had if directors – both at Hampden and across the country – can enhance the blueprint that has been used in the opening weeks of the campaign.

For fans in Scotland, the current arrangements mean you pay to watch clubs you have no affiliation for and matches that you have no interest in. Yet supporters in America, for example, can pick and choose and put their money straight into their club.

Change will be slow, especially in our game. But could Scottish football one day move to a new model in terms of how their armchair fans see their side in action?

“It is a really good question, a very good question indeed and a subject that is worth getting into,” Clive Tyldesley, the legendary broadcaster and commentator, said. “There are no clubs like Rangers and Celtic and they are far less dependant on television income than Manchester United and Liverpool. That is just one of the many differences between life either side of the border.

“The paying customer, the turnstile fan, at Ibrox and Parkhead are far more important to the financial structure and workings of the two major clubs in Glasgow than the English fan is now. I guess the same is true elsewhere in Europe.

“In Scotland, while there is a clear commitment from the clubs to look after the interests of the fans, there is also a financial need to ensure that their core support are well served. So, they’ll listen to them.

“I work in a business that changes by the day and the consumption of media is undergoing what seems to be a perpetual revolution.

“Who could have predicted the status of the newspaper industry ten years ago?

Or even the terrestrial television channels in terms of sporting coverage? I don’t think the wheel has stopped turning and I do believe that the subscription model for television football watching is perhaps nearing the end.”

Tyldesley has been at the forefront of the Rangers TV production as the Ibrox board have invested significantly in their matchday offering that is free to season ticket holders and available on a pay- perview basis to subscribers for just £ 10 a game.

Presented by Emma Dodds, the coverage has insight and analysis from Kevin Thomson, Alex Rae, Neil McCann and Shelley Kerr. Walter Smith has made an appearance already, while Graeme Souness will follow.

Across the city, Celtic hired respected production firm Sunset+ Vine as the likes of Chris Sutton and John Hartson returned to Parkhead, while Rob McLean and Derek Rae contribute to Aberdeen’s RedTV and David Tanner fronts the coverage at Hibernian.

The customer, of course, is always right and if the programming is not worth the fee then fans will turn off rather than tune in whether or not it is their club that is benefitting.

With the right people and the right infrastructure, could the way that fans watch our game change in line with the ever- evolving methods in which we consume our news and entertainment?

“The generation of our children are driving a different kind of market and the customer is becoming smarter, more informed and more selective,” Tyldesley said. “Why would you pay a subscription to a channel that is going to show a third or half of your team’s fixtures?

“You are forced to watch Aberdeen or Hibernian or Dundee United or somebody you don’t particularly have an interest in. You could subscribe to a channel where you watch the specific games that you want to see.

“The pandemic has changed so many attitudes and views. I don’t know when Ibrox or Celtic Park will be full again but I suspect we are talking several months.”

The test event at Murrayfield and the ones that will follow in the Premiership are small steps on a long road.

Once the doors open, time will tell how much of an appetite there is for streaming services across the league and it may be only the Old Firm that can retain demand from season ticket holders and armchair fans every week.

I don’t think the wheel has stopped turning