Old Firm TV ?

[ian1964 10,457]

LEADNG media and financial analysts last night gave their support to the Old Firm's plans to buy the SPL's TV rights - insisting the plan is a goer.

 

Stephen Morrow, head of the Department of Sports Studies at Stirling University, had feared there would be a total black-out of SPL football on TV following the collapse of Setanta.

 

Now he believes the Old Firm could ride to the rescue but only after a cliffhanger finish that would be typical of any other TV drama.

 

Morrow said: "It is an idea that's feasible. They would obviously subcontract work out to agencies who know all about the production of television programmes.

 

"But we have to remember the clock is ticking. The new season is only a month away and clubs in the SPL, along with ESPN and Sky, could be involved in a gigantic stand-off.

 

The other clubs outwith the Old Firm might consider the idea of turning their back on what they already have on the table as a risk that's too great.

 

"The television companies who have joined forces to replace Setanta might also believe the Old Firm are trying to railroad them into increasing the offer they've already made.

 

"What would the reaction be among the clubs who are anxious for money if that offer was taken off the table and the television companies walked away?"

 

But Morrow believes the big two can be a turn-on and not a switch-off for the people they need to back their ground-breaking initiative - so long as they do their sums properly.

 

He said: "Getting a television channel up and running isn't the Old Firm's main line of business so there are risks involved. They'll need startup money and there will have to be a quick return on their investment.

 

"What the clubs have in their favour is that they can go to the bank or private investors and give them a definite idea of the revenues to come because they know the level of subscriber interest they're dealing with. Timescale is the biggest problem of all and one that shouldn't be underestimated.

 

"They'll be able to get distribution rights without too much of a problem in an unregulated market. What the Old Firm don't want is the threat of civil war inside the SPL when the clock is ticking down on the new season."

 

Simple economics versus complicated arguments is the battlefield the Old Firm have now entered.

 

David Glen, who produces the annual report on Scottish football's finances for PricewaterhouseCoopers, thinks it's possible for the clubs to rise above internal differences and lead the way to a revolutionary concept.

 

He said: "The number of people willing to subscribe to what is SPL TV by any other name is the deal breaker on this one. If they get their way the Old Firm have to bring a magic to their product that is even greater than those who have gone before them. Their strong suit is that they can prosper by cutting out the middle man because they will become the middle man.

 

"I would imagine the Old Firm would have to get subscribers on board as quickly as possible to beat this ticking clock.

 

"They'll need to do everything to assist their cash flow in the early stages and that could lead to discount deals being offered for the season as a way of building up a healthy client base."

 

But before any of that happens the two most powerful clubs in the land will first of all have to stand in front of the bank manager like the rest of us and plead their case for tolerance and understanding.

 

Glen added: "Major banks would have credit committees who would assess whether the Old Firm had a viable idea on their hands.

 

"But they've also been quite shrewd by showing their hand in this way. It lets Sky and ESPN know they're not the only game in town where coverage of the Premier League is concerned."

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/2009/07/15/old-firm-plan-is-feasible-say-media-experts-86908-21520791/