NUMBERS GAME

Newcomers challenge BT and Sky for live TV rights

NEWCOMERS Eleven Sports are poised to go head-to-head with BT Sports and Sky for the rights to show live Scottish football.

The SPFL are inviting broadcasters to bid for the biggest television deal in Scottish football history this month.

BT Sport and Sky Sports currently pay around £21million a year to share 60 SPFL league games and both now want to go it alone.

However, Premiership chairmen hope competition from Eleven Sports will see clubs double their money through a £40m-a-year deal when the current agreement ends in 2020.

Founded by Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizziani, Eleven has risen to prominence this year by winning exclusive rights to show Serie A, La Liga and the US PGA Championship in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

And a source close to the broadcaster told Sportsmail they would not rule out a bid for the rights to the SPFL, branding it an ‘interesting property’. Amazon and Facebook have also held preliminary discussions with league chief executive Neil Doncaster.

And Premiership clubs hope to tie up a new contract by April next year when the broadcast giants divert their attentions to a new Champions League broadcasting deal.

The previous record broadcasting deal for Scottish football remains a £31m-a-year contract signed with Setanta a decade ago.

Eleven Sports, which operates as a streaming platform, are keen to confirm their status as growing players in the British market despite ruffling feathers within the Football Association and SFA by breaching a long-standing agreement to keep live football off the nation’s screens between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on a Saturday.

The broadcaster has agreed to stop broadcasting La Liga games ‘for the time being,’ but vowed to challenge the ruling in court.