By Mark Baber
July 19 – Sky Bet have picked up the title sponsorship for the Football League in a five year deal that will also see Sky Television extend its coverage of the Football League to a total of 148 live games per season from the 2015/2016 season onwards.
The last minute deal starts immediately with 2013/14 season that kicks off early August, The Football League competition will be titled ‘The Sky Bet Football League’, with its three divisions being titled ‘The Sky Bet Championship’, ‘Sky Bet League 1’ and ‘Sky Bet League 2’.
Previous sponsor npower was believed to be paying £7 million a season for the title sponsorship. The new deal with Sky Bet is reckoned to be less at £6 million a year. The Football League have previously shied away from a betting company as a title sponsor as many clubs have their own betting sponsors and were reluctant to have a conflict with those sponsors at league level.
The broadcast component of the deal extends Sky and the Football League’s existing broadcasting agreement for a further three years until 2018. From August 2015, Sky Sports will broadcast exclusively live per season:
· 112 matches from the Sky Bet Football League,
· The Football League Play-Offs including all three Finals,
· 15 matches from the Capital One Cup including both legs of each semi-final and the final, and
· the Johnstones Paint Trophy Finals and at least two matches from the preceding rounds.
In addition, Sky Sports will broadcast highlights and clips of the Sky Bet Football League, Capital One Cup and Johnstones Paint Trophy. The agreement encompasses television, broadband internet, video-on-demand and mobile services.
The value on the TV part of the deal has been put as high as £90 million a season, valuing the whole deal for the Football League at £300 million, however, the real figure is believed to be substantially less.
Sky Bet was first set up after the acquisition of the Sports Internet Group which included Surrey Sports, and has grown rapidly to become the UK’s fourth largest bookmaker. The new deal is intended to increase awareness of Sky Bet’s growing range of online and mobile betting services.
Greg Clarke, the Chairman of The Football League said: “his agreement takes our long-term partnership with Sky to a new level and provides a genuine boost to clubs ahead of the new season.”
Richard Flint, MD of Sky Bet, said: “This is a ground-breaking partnership for Sky Bet. We know that having a bet on the match can make it even more exciting. In the past fans would go into a betting shop on the way to the ground, but with our industry-leading mobile apps and website they can place their bets quickly and conveniently whether going to the match or watching it on Sky at home.
“Sponsorship of The Football League helps us engage with millions of football fans spanning all 72 league clubs. It was important for us that we are able to demonstrate our commitment to all Football League clubs and fans nationwide. The strength of our technology supported by a trusted brand that is part of the fabric of football means we’re ideally placed to add to the match-day experience of fans.”
Football League Chairman, Greg Clarke said: “The Football League is focused on delivering financial sustainability to our member clubs and this agreement will help us achieve that aim.”
Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, said: “This agreement offers Sky Sports viewers more matches, more choice and more drama from all 72 clubs across the Football League. Extending our Football League coverage until 2018 is excellent news for our viewers who have never enjoyed such a strong choice of live football coverage.”
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