pete 2,499 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Exclusive: SPL sides set for crisis talks over Setanta TV cash fears Jun 3 2009 Keith Jackson and Chris Roberts ANXIOUS SPL bosses will hold crisis talks today about their TV deal with Setanta amid growing fears the plug is about to be pulled on their Ã?£31million a year package. The possible meltdown scenario will be discussed at a meeting of the SPL board after Record Sportââ?¬â?¢s revelation yesterday that the cash-strapped Irish satellite broadcasters have failed to stump up the final Ã?£3m installment of this seasonââ?¬â?¢s deal. And sources have told us there is now genuine panic over the prospect of having to rip up the entire contract which runs until 2014 - a potential hammer blow which would cost the top 12 clubs a combined total of Ã?£155m. Last night all top-flight clubs were attempting to draw a veil of secrecy over todayââ?¬â?¢s meeting. But our source said: ââ?¬Å?We are all well aware of exactly what is going on and there will be an official announcement after the discussions. "For now everything must remain confidential which is why no one is willing to make any comment. "But in the next 24 hours there will besome form of announcement. The only thin we can say right now is that it will not be good news. Financial expert David Glen, of PricewaterhouseCoopers, has predicted some of Scotland's biggest clubs could go to the wall if they are robbed of Setanta's cash. Glen said: "If a solution is not reached then clubs and players will be in serious trouble. For the smaller clubs this could be a disaster." It is time for the SPL to run there own tv. It works in Holland so why would it not work in Scotland. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,552 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Unfortunately there are too many clubs out for their own slice of the pie. That's why the ludicrous situation of knocking back the Sky deal some years ago happened. Shouldn't affect the Old Firm too much if Setanta go to the wall but other teams may struggle. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 The shitanta gaffers are just pissed they're not the SPL champions any more. :devil: :spl: :spl: 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UCF2008 0 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 It is time for the SPL to run there own tv. It works in Holland so why would it not work in Scotland. I totally agree. It's the best option for everyone involved and the fans would probably even end up with better coverage than is currently offered. With finances in general being as they are at the moment, nevermind in Scottish football, it's not something the clubs could afford by themselves. Although I would think that a fair amount of sponsorship and advertisement money could be attracted to such a venture. One option which could help to ease initial setup costs would be to partner up with one of the existing terrestrial channels (BBC Scotland / STV) whereby in return for use of the filming equipment and staff (who in the case of the Beeb are already covering the games for radio anyway) they get a share of the profits and don't have to pay for Highlights rights. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wija 0 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Unfortunately there are too many clubs out for their own slice of the pie. That's why the ludicrous situation of knocking back the Sky deal some years ago happened. Shouldn't affect the Old Firm too much if Setanta go to the wall but other teams may struggle. Said as much after Chick put the original piece on another thread... Dundee Utd, Aberdeen, Hibs and Hertz.... all had the power go to there head. They wanted the same slice that the OF were getting. Oh how that will now come back to bite them, possibly. Also , our debt is the clubs debt. I really think that clubs have relied on the pittance Shitanta have given, or not as the case maybe. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barr 0 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 It is time for the SPL to run there own tv. It works in Holland so why would it not work in Scotland. They opted for this befor ethe Setanta deal, but as with everything in Scotland the arse fell oot it. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calscot 0 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Setanta have been poor in thinking out their programming and target markets although I think the reason they are struggling is that they over extended themselves trying to get a slice of the Premiership pie which didn't bring in as many English subscribers as they projected and now struggling with the economic downturn and the loss of one of the Premiership packages. In Scotland they have only really targeted OF firm fans and although they make up about two thirds of the audience there is 33% they could also have catered for. Who is going to pay 13 quid a month to see possibly only three live games a season - especially when you could go to see the actual games against the OF for less? Even the OF coverage is relatively poor as for home games you get a choice of 5 minute highlights or the replay of the full 90 minutes with nothing in between, What happened to "extended" highlights lasting about 30 minutes? There are two dedicated channels plus Rangers and Celtic TV, they could surely re-arrange it so that EVERY game has its own full 25 minute highlight show with 10 minutes of analysis (and 65 minutes of adverts) which are broadcast on Saturday night and repeated on a Sunday afternoon and an evening during the week. They could then make sure the time of each game is in the schedule so you know when to tune in. They should also scrap Rangers and Celtic TV and instead have two SPL channels which bring news, previews and analysis for all SPL clubs. Surely that would bring in the non-OF fans as well as increase the service for the OF fans? They could also stop discouraging Rangers fans by bringing in some NEUTRAL commentary and punditry. Pundits in general should be sacked for obvious bias. You're not a pundit at all if you can't show some objectivity, you're just a high profile fan with a microphone, with no value in your analysis beyond pleasing other fans of the same team. They also could do with a cheaper package that doesn't include English games. They put the price up to include them and I didn't watch a single one. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,552 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 All good points Cal... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 I will explain how it works in Holland. Eredevisie live is run bij the Eredevisie(premier league). All games are live on the telly with with the possibility to watch whatever games you want depending on your provider. Some providers only have two channels available and therefore show chosen games. Most of the big Internet\telephone\digital tv companies have an option. I pay 15 euro's a month and the cheapest is 10(i think) euro's a month as they only have two channels. Normally there is one game on a Friday evening which is also shown on one of the commercial channels. That leaves eight games to be played over Saturday and Sunday. Normally this is 4+4 as most providers have 4 channels available. On the last game of the season all games were played at the same time. My provider made all 9 live games available and also Eredivisie live a programme that jumped from game to game. Even the second division here has a full 1.5 hour highlights show. Surely a similar set-up could be looked at in Scotland. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,552 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I like that format but the problem is lack of resources Pete... Only Sky have the capability to show so many games and I believe they're not overly interested in the Scottish market. Setanta have reasonable amounts of equipment but after that the BBC/STV have been leasing Setanta's equipment for their coverage so we'd have to go with a combination of all four providers. Unfortunately, it's doubtful how well they'd work together - look at the issues with Virgin and Sky recently. There is money to be made but we need people to see the bigger picture and not �£ signs. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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