He may have just nailed down the most lucrative TV contract in the history of Scottish football. But SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster was back in the firing line yesterday after finally taking the wraps off a seven year, £150m tie up with broadcast giants Sky.
Targeted by a stinging attack from Rangers last week, Doncaster now stands accused of selling the Scottish game on the cheap when compared to rival leagues across the continent. A long running feud with the Ibrox club led to him ripping up the league’s rule book in order to controversially cut them out of the vote at the 11th hour - and drag the multi-million pound package over the line.
But with 41 of Scotland’s 42 clubs all giving their backing to Doncaster’s deal, has this simmering row with Rangers turned personal and toxic? Our chief football writer Keith Jackson went to Hampden yesterday to find out…
KJ : Some fans have derided this as one of the worst TV deals in Europe. Are they right? Have you sold Scottish football on the cheap?
ND: You only need to ask people like Dave Cormack and Ron Gordon what they think. These are serious, seasoned business people at a world level. Ron has sold a media company - he knows his stuff - and he was one of the key architects of this deal. I would like to pay tribute to the work Ron has done along with Dave, Mark Ogren, John Nelms and Andrew McKinlay in driving forward the review which ultimately underpinned this whole process. To claim that these seasoned business people would be backing and negotiating a ‘dead deal’ is way wide of the mark. You have to question what the motive is behind some of the remarks that have been made. It’s a record breaking deal - the biggest single deal in the 132 year history of the Scottish football league. It combines different elements that fans, clubs and broadcasters want to see. The very best games live on Sky, up to another 60 games shown by clubs on a pay-per-view streaming basis and the remainder you have to be in the stadium to experience live. To me, that is the sweet spot that Scottish football wants.
KJ: But you’ve been accused of not even testing the market to make sure this was the best possible deal. Is that true?
ND: That’s way wide of the mark and it belies the facts. When we had a meeting in this room with all cinch Premiership clubs present, the process we’ve undertaken was gone through in depth. Clearly we have been testing the market to establish what interest is out there. This was not the only deal. But it was the best deal by a mile.
KJ: Can you give a breakdown of how the voting went then?
ND: Yes, 41 out of the 42 clubs approved the rule change that was necessary to approve the Sky proposal. We didn’t want to be in that position but ultimately that’s what we needed to do in order to carry out the very clear will of the clubs. The fact that 41 out of 42 clubs backed that process vindicates the stance we took and the confidence these clubs have in the deal.
KJ: So why is there so much resistance to it?
ND: Some people out there seem to think clubs would like all games streamed live. That’s not my understanding at all. What clubs want is what we have delivered. Unlike some other leagues, we are not primarily a broadcast product. We have chosen to prioritise the in stadium experience. We’re renowned for our passion, drama and excitement.
KJ: Isn’t that model the wrong way round? If cameras are in the Bernabeu and the Nou Camp every weekend why not Celtic Park and Ibrox?
ND: It’s about prioritisation of the in stadium experience for the fans and that’s what this deal protects. There is still a huge incentive for fans to buy their season tickets and go along to the stadium. But at the same time the very best games will be broadcast live around the world.
KJ: Have you asked Celtic and Rangers if they would be prepared to sell all of their home games to broadcasters?
ND: It’s abundantly clear there is no desire from clubs to make all 19 home games available for streaming or broadcast. Any suggestions to the contrary are well wide of the mark.
KJ: Rangers have been very vocal publicly in their opposition to this deal. Stewart Robertson highlighted a huge discrepancy between leagues like our’s and Sweden’s. How do you react to that?
ND: Ultimately this deal delivers the will of the clubs. I don’t think there is any desire to follow the Swedish model and make all games available for broadcast. I’ve certainly not seen it.
KJ: Earlier this month Record Sport revealed Rangers privately confirmed they would back the Sky deal - but only if they received an apology and legal expenses from the SPFL over the cinch spat. True?
ND: Yes, it is the case.
KJ: Why would he be so publicly critical of the Sky deal then?
ND: I’m not going to speculate on what people’s motivations are.
KJ: But I’m going to ask you to because there’s a festering sore now between the SPFL and Rangers. How can you fix that?
ND: What we need to do is focus on what we’re here to do - serve all 42 clubs without fear or favour - and we do that. The 42 clubs, almost unanimously, have backed the process we’ve put in place. To have 41 out of 42 clubs backing the rule change to deliver this deal is unusual in the extreme.
KJ: But even if the majority agree, you do have an ongoing issue with Rangers. Would it not be better for the health of the Scottish game if you bury the hatchet?
ND: We need to stay true to what we are here to do and to not be distracted by noise and criticism which goes with the territory. We have to be focused on delivering for 42 clubs as a whole and that’s what this deal does today.
KJ: Has this war with Rangers become so toxic that it’s now personal?
ND: I’m not sure whether it’s personal or not but I was struck by a comment about ‘settling old scores’. I don’t know what the motivation is but my focus remains on serving all 42 clubs.
KJ: Dave Cormack also suggested it would be good for the dispute between Rangers and cinch to be put to bed. Is there any prospect of that?
ND: Ultimately, we can only do what we can do. We won’t be distracted by the noise. There is no doubt cinch are getting an unprecedented level of exposure and they’ll get even more through this new deal with Sky Sports. All of that helps us progress towards the £50m per season target which has been set by our clubs and we are relishing the challenge of delivering that. This deal today is an important first step towards that target.
KJ: But aren’t we now locked into a long term broadcast deal at a time when the market is moving in a very different direction?
ND: Over the 24 year history of the SPFL and the SPL before it, there have been a number of times when the league sought to move away from Sky Sports and regretted it on every occasion. To tie ourselves to the UK’s leading sports broadcaster is a strategy which I suspect will survive the test of time. There are a number of other leagues who would love to do longer term deals but do not have that option.
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