Former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys has called on disillusioned Scottish football fans to turn their back on the broadcaster.
Alongside BT Sport the English based broadcaster have the live rights to SPFL matches through until the 2019/20 season tied up.
With under £20m a year going into the Scottish game the SPFL has one of the worst broadcast deals in Europe- with the same broadcasters putting record money into the English game.
Speculation that BT Sport may go solo with a £31m/year deal was greeted with joy in some parts but is still way below the going rate.
A deal for £50m/year would represent decent value for Scottish football, clever negotiators should be able to raise that figure and get some continuity of service with one or two slots set aside for broadcasting rather than the current graveyard slots.
Keys was the face of Sky Sports for almost 20 years but has no love for his former employer and how they treat the Scottish game.
Speaking to the Daily Record he said: “I wouldn’t advocate people taking to the streets to make their views known but the people of Merseyside deserve enormous credit for the boycott of The Sun newspaper after they were scandalously treated by it post Hillsborough. They simply refused to buy it.
“Maybe it’s time the people of Scotland took a similar stand. Maybe they have to send a message to London they’re not prepared to put up with this. What’s the best way to do that? Stop spending 35 quid a month on a Sky subscriptions.
“Scottish football is never going to get better unless it has the wherewithal to be able to so. And that requires somebody comes and spends some money on it.
“It needs people who are prepared to invest in it and to grow it, not try to take it on the cheap.
“It’s wrong Scottish football is at the bottom of the European league never mind the British league when it comes to TV rights but what Scottish fans have to do is find a way to make those buying the rights sit up and think.”
Sky’s often half hearted coverage of Scottish football is often slated online as they put more effort into Videoslots, with BT appearing to have a greater interest and commitment.
English football is a big driver for subscriptions north of the border but with money going through the roof and BT offering exclusive Champions League coverage and other European football there is competition at play- except in the carve up of Scottish broadcasting rights.
The current television deal was negotiated by Neil Doncaster.