SPFL NET £160M SKY WINDFALL
New five-year deal spells end for BT Sport
SKY SPORTS have agreed to pay £160million over five years for exclusive rights to broadcast the SPFL Premiership.
The broadcaster will show 48 games per season from 2020 plus the six Premiership Play-off ties, with BT Sport the big losers after submitting an offer lower than the current £21m-a-year deal.
Last night, one senior figure at an SPFL club told Sportsmail the BT Sport offer was ‘pathetic’ and ‘derisory’.
Praised by supporters for their coverage of the SPFL, BT Sport will disappear from the Scottish map completely after Premier Sports snapped up 12 to 16 Betfred League Cup live
games plus highlights. And, as
Sportsmail first revealed, BBC Scotland will broadcast live coverage of 20 SPFL Championship games in the next two seasons, while retaining Premiership highlights until 2025.
A meeting of the SPFL board ended yesterday morning with a recommendation to clubs to accept an offer of almost £32m a year from Sky Sports.
Wary of a slump in the football rights marketplace, club chairmen quickly snapped up a sizeable increase on the current contract worth £21m a season with BT and Sky for 60 games.
Amazon, Facebook and newcomers Eleven Sports all held discussions with SPFL chief Neil Doncaster.
With investors unhappy with the sums paid for English and Champions League rights, however, BT Sport are pulling back from paying huge sums for live football.
The latest English Premier League contract is worth 25-per-cent less per game than it was under the previous deal, prompting Doncaster (right) to advise clubs to grab a new record deal for Scottish football.
The unpopular rule restricting each club to four live home games a season will remain under the contract.
In a statement released by the SPFL, however, Doncaster said: ‘Every single deal is a major increase on our current contracts. Taken together, these deals represent the largest ever injection of broadcast investment since the SPL was founded over 20 years ago.
‘Whilst we are not in a position to reveal exact figures, it’s indicative of the sums involved that the clubs quickly voted to accept the deals put before them.
‘Interest in the Scottish game is extremely high both at home and overseas, and this has been reflected in the size of the commercial deals we have been able to strike in what is definitely a very challenging market.
‘We’re particularly pleased that we have been able to agree a deal for the Ladbrokes Premiership matches on an exclusive basis with a single live broadcast partner. ‘Sky Sports has been at the heart of the football broadcasting revolution for many, many years and its determination to secure our rights and its commitment to ensuring excellence in its programming are extremely encouraging.
‘The significant, additional money which will come into Scottish football will be extremely welcome. The game can only benefit from the strong investment and widespread exposure these deals have secured.’
Sky Sports have faced sustained questions from supporters over their commitment to the Scottish game, but offered substantially more for rights than rivals BT Sport.
Sky Sports’ managing director Barney Francis said: ‘This is a hugely exciting time for Scottish football — something that has been reflected in the number of fans tuning in to watch on Sky Sports.
‘With more games, in-game clips and highlights of every single Ladbrokes Premiership clash, fans won’t miss a minute. Add in live coverage of Scotland’s Nations League campaign, and every European Championship and World Cup qualifier and we’ve really got the Scottish game covered.’
The new package of rights exceeds the £31m a year paid by Setanta before the Irish broadcaster went bust after failing to honour a payment of £3m to the old SPL.
The return of Setanta founder Michael O’Rourke to the Scottish market via Premier Sports will raise eyebrows after the broadcasters followed a deal with the SFA for rights to the Scottish Cup by securing coverage of the Betfred Cup.
Premier Sports’ chairman O’Rourke said: ‘I am genuinely delighted to secure the rights to the Betfred Cup for five seasons from 2020.
‘This deal compliments our recently announced deal with the SFA for their cup competition and completes a unique double for Premier Sports.’
BBC Scotland will also retain Premiership highlights, with the corporation also showing live Championship matches from early next year.
Interest in the Scottish game is extremely high and it has been reflected in the size of commercial deals we’ve been able to strike