By David Gold
November 21 – The Scottish Premier League (SPL) has signed a five year extension to their current television deal with Sky Sports and ESPN to show live games, on what SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster (pictured) claims are “substantially improved terms”.
They will each show 30 live games a season from 2012/13, in a deal which will earn clubs in the Scottish top flight £80 million ($125 million/€93 million), according to reports.
Doncaster said: “Sky Sports and ESPN are two of the biggest names in sports broadcasting and the SPL has enjoyed an excellent relationship with both broadcasters over the course of the current contract, a period which has seen a 28 per cent increase in viewing figures.
“In the current economic climate, announcing an increase in value is excellent news for our clubs.
“It’s the financial stability that our clubs are crying out for.
“To have Sky and ESPN contracted for five years from 2012 gives our clubs the stability in a difficult economic climate and to plan for the future.”
IMG Media had been employed by the SPL to look into the possibility of launching their own television channel, a method used in other countries in recent times.
“There was a good debate around it [SPL TV] and we’ve seen these kind of ventures succeed, most notably in Holland,” Doncaster told BBC Scotland.
“But, at the end of the day, the stability, the increased money and working with reputable live broadcasters puts us in the best possible position.”
The announcement is a significant boost to the SPL after Clydesdale Bank announced that they were ending their sponsorship of the league last week.
“It’s vital to have a robust broadcast partner announced before you start the search for a new title sponsor,” Doncaster explained.
“The timing is not of our choosing but the reality is, with Clydesdale Bank having made their decision, this puts us in a really good position to go to the market.
“To start the search on the back of a robust new contract with Sky and ESPN is the best possible way to do that.”
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