Derby’s friendly dig at League TV deal
AN unlikely friendly match between Championship rivals Derby County and Leeds is going to be staged at Pride Park during the March international break as part of Rams chairman Mel Morris’s battle with the Football League over media rights.
The formidable Morris is in conflict with the FL after being denied access to the details of TV deals he claims could be a lot better.
He is putting on the game to highlight the major revenues he believes could be made from broadcasting and social media if there was no restrictions from a monopoly TV deal for eight per cent of the fixtures.
Morris, who it is understood has significant support for his views from across the FL divisions, has invited all 72 clubs plus the League board and commercial committee to a meeting at Derby on January 5 where he will present his media plans in detail.
Morris wrote in his latest letter to clubs: ‘My quest is to ensure the Football League is able to efficiently and successfully grow our brand and our revenues. I am underwhelmed by our lack of stature and the weak levels of monetisation of our media rights and the seeming lack of efforts, focus and results delivered by those responsible.
‘Even against the backdrop of the agreements that we are not allowed to see, we believe there are significant opportunities for all of us to generate meaningful incremental revenue, even for this season.’
The FL remain convinced that the current Sky deal is a good one and have yet to see any evidence to the contrary. They are also appointing a broadcasting expert onto the staff to prepare for the next TV deals.
l A MAJOR concern for the Premier League with lucrative TV rights to protect is the growth of pirate streaming of their action with a landmark audience of a million reckoned to have illegally watched Manchester United’s win at Swansea that wasn’t a selected TV match. The PL say they are containing the situation by investing a lot of resources to fighting the problem and have had a string of successful court actions. PREMIERSHIP Rugby have made the bizarre decision not to appoint an independent chairman to replace Quentin Smith (right) following a six-month search by headhunters that had two captains of industry on the final shortlist.
The decision, voted for by the smallest possible margin after an acrimonious board meeting involving the 12 elite clubs plus Yorkshire Carnegie and London Irish, not only goes against their own regulations but also Sport England’s governance code.
It will also embarrass recruitment company chairman Michael Squires, who has to inform the candidates their time has been wasted.
A Premiership spokesman said the issue will be discussed again in February.
l THERE is no excuse for any more FIFA confusion over wearing poppies after FA chairman Greg Clarke met FIFA president Gianni Infantino in Zurich yesterday. FIFA’s disciplinary committee are due to announce their poppy sanction fines next week.