August 7 – The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the newly merged body running club football in the country, has announced an increase in its broadcast partnerships that are “worth a substantial six-figure sum to be distributed across all 42 clubs.”
The new contracts, with BBC Scotland, STV and the Bauer Group, begin with the start of the new SPFL league season this weekend.
BBC Scotland has bought additional television highlights, radio commentary and online clip rights for SPFL Championship matches for the next two seasons; STV had acquired online and television clip rights; The Bauer Group has bought radio commentary rights and will bring the return of regionalised Saturday afternoon full match commentary as well as live goal flashes from the SPFL Premiership and Championship
The core TV broadcast deal for the SPFL is with Sky Sports, BT Sport and BBC Alba across all four leagues which was increased earlier this summer in time for the new season.
Neil Doncaster, SPFL Chief Executive, said: “It’s great news for fans of Scottish football that we will see and hear even more coverage of the game next season.”
The deal has not been without its difficulties with the removal of Rangers from the Scottish Premier League leaving a contractual problem with broadcasters who had stipulated Rangers matches as part of their broadcast contract.
“We therefore agreed a deal to buy 15 Rangers games per season from the then-SFL. We also agreed to make a contribution to the broadcasters’ expenses,” Doncaster said in May.
In an open letter to the Daily record he said: “It was more than a decade ago that a clause was first built into the then-SPL’s live broadcast contracts ensuring four Old Firm games per season were available to be covered.
“Therefore, when Rangers ceased to be a member of the SPL, the broadcasters had the right to terminate the contracts immediately.
“Thanks to the willingness of all those round the table, the talks were successful and we renegotiated a broadcast deal which ensured the single biggest investment in our game would continue.”
With no Rangers on the schedule it could have triggered payments being due to ESPN, BT Sport and Sky.”We therefore agreed a deal to buy 15 Rangers games per season from the then-SFL, to provide to the broadcasters.”
Doncaster said the “eight-figure investment” each season was of “enormous benefit to all 42 of our member clubs, to the clubs’ own sponsors and, of course, to the fans”.
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