SPFL Chairman Murdoch MacLennan has announced that the SPFL has been given permission to complete a new five year deal with Sky Sports, running until the end of the 29/30 season.
Sky Sports are currently halfway through a five year contract which gives them exclusive live rights to matches having shared coverage in previous seasons with BT Sport.
Premier Sport now has the rights to League Cup, Scottish Cup and Scotland’s competitive international matches but Sky appear determined to hold onto the SPFL.
Last night Dave Cormack of Aberdeen delivered a passionate call for the new five year deal to go through. It seems that plea has worked although the SPFL will be mindful of recent comments by Stewart Robertson that the deal wasn’t one that his club could support.
This afternoon the Daily Mail reported:
Requiring an 11-1 vote from the Premiership to pass, SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan has now emailed clubs to tell them that a resolution designed to bypass Rangers’ objections has secured the votes required.
A Sky deal hailed as ‘the largest single commercial contract in the history of Scottish league football’ will be signed in the coming days.
‘I am pleased to be able to advise you that the Commercial Resolution in respect of the proposal from Sky has now been approved by cinch Premiership Clubs and that the Qualified Resolution amending the SPFL Rules (to accommodate the Sky proposal) has also been approved,’ wrote MacLennan.
‘Thank you for your support of this important rule change. The extended contract with Sky will underpin the finances of the SPFL for the next seven years, in the face of what appear to be strengthening economic headwinds.
‘Over the coming days, we will look to contract with Sky and to announce the extension, which, by value, will be by far the largest single commercial contract in the history of Scottish league football.’
All 12 top-tier clubs were initially asked to provide a waiver letter agreeing to let Sky increase the number of home games shown from each ground by one per season.
While 11 clubs agreed, Rangers declined to support the move unless the SPFL apologised for its handling of a dispute with the Ibrox club over the cinch sponsorship deal and agreed to meet the legal costs incurred during arbitration.
It is unclear if the Ibrox club have changed their view on the issue, more likely it seems that the SPFL have found a way of getting the deal through without unanimous agreement.
If that is the case there could be a cinch like stand off. Again, whether the new contract begins from next season or at the end of the current Sky Sports deal in 24/25 is unclear.
The new five year deal will allow Sky Sports to show five of Celtic’s home matches with the club able to offer four home games directly to fans through PPV.
any team not wishing to take part should not be entitled to any monies from the deal ,its so simple blot them out.
I hope The Rangers are not benefiting from the deal, like they have done with the cinch deal.
Objecting clubs can do their own tv deal, but who will watch them playing nobody whilst the rest of the teams are contracted to spfl & sky