BBC Scotland have hit back at the SPFL justifying why they pay Scottish football 1/60th of the money paid for English Premier League highlights.
Babara Slater, the BBC’s Director of Sport, got the argument going by stating that the fee’s paid were governed by ‘market dynamics’.
While every football fan in Scotland is forced to pay £12 to the BBC other broadcasters rely on subscription payments or advertising to create a budget to bid for highlights.
Without the licence fee the state broadcaster would have a tough job recruiting it’s expensive band of bland pundits spouting the party line and adding little to the debate with no connection to supporters.
Yesterday it emerged that the SPFL is paid less than £1m a year for the third rate Sportscene Sunday night ‘highlights’ programme. Celtic fans will have to wait more than 48 hours to see highlights from the champions draw away to St Johnstone.
While BBC Scotland are taking a liberty the SPFL should look in-house at their negotiating team over the current contract. An average of £1,000 a week to each club is unlikely to be missed with the exposure given to sponsors minimal.
Does Sportscene promote the Scottish game in a positive light or tick a box in the so called public service charter of the state broadcaster?
Answering their critics BBC Scotland stated: “The SPFL welcomed the current rights agreement with the BBC and other broadcasters when it was announced. Neil Doncaster said it was great news for fans.
“Sports rights are negotiated in line with market conditions and not population quotas. Our priority is to get value for money. Fans in Scotland tell us they enjoy highlights of both the Premiership and the Premier League and we don’t believe that audiences in Scotland are being short-changed.
“We believe our involvement has a positive impact on the appreciation of the game.”
With Doncaster increasingly pushed into an administrative role Ralph Topping issued the SPFL warning that they wouldn’t be settling for third rate broadcasting deals in future.
Going into negotiations after talking up Armageddon isn’t the wisest tactic to use.
The SPFL chairman said: “Scots contribute a tenth of the licence fee. Yet at less than £1m for TV highlights, our BBC deal is only 1/60th of what the BBC pays to the Premier League and that doesn’t include the money to the Football League for highlights.
“The BBC is damaging the game in Scotland and these double standards are indefensible for a publicly-funded broadcaster.
“It’s a sad reflection that Lineker’s salary is DOUBLE what the BBC pays for highlights of over 250 SPFL games each year.
“In the current deal, the BBC has almost halved what they previously spent. There’s a point where you say ‘enough is enough’.
“Fans, clubs, politicians and the Scottish public recognise that, as our national broadcaster, the BBC has a duty to do the right thing. The facts could not be clearer.”
With one season left on the current broadcasting deal the SPFL will soon have the opportunity to back up their words with action, meantime more and more fans turn to You Tube for legal highlights.