Neil Doncaster has reservations about our game's overseas marketing

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SPFL media partners sell TV rights to firm who committed catalogue of calamities

 

League chief Neil Doncaster has reservations about our game's overseas marketing and is set for crunch talks with media partners MP & Silva.

 

The SPFL are set for crunch talks with international media partners MP & Silva over fears the rights holders are under-selling Scottish football - by using players such as Celtic flop Jo Inge Berget as poster boys for our game.

 

Record Sport understands league chief executive Neil Doncaster has concerns over the marketing of the game overseas with several key countries including the USA facing television blackouts.

 

The SPFL flogged the international TV rights to MP & Silva in a £20million nine-year deal - which runs until 2023 and allows the global media players to punt on to nations in an individual basis.

 

The SPFL are set for crunch talks with international media partners MP & Silva over fears the rights holders are under-selling Scottish football - by using players such as Celtic flop Jo Inge Berget as poster boys for our game.

 

Record Sport understands league chief executive Neil Doncaster has concerns over the marketing of the game overseas with several key countries including the USA facing television blackouts.

 

The SPFL flogged the international TV rights to MP & Silva in a £20million nine-year deal - which runs until 2023 and allows the global media players to punt on to nations in an individual basis.

 

It also featured former Inverness man Billy Mckay, team-mate Aaron Doran, Chris Erskine and Kris Commons, who never featured for Celts last season.

 

The SPFL are locked in to the deal but Doncaster will seek assurances the league is being properly pushed in key markets.

 

Scottish football is currently shown in 150 countries around the globe - including live matches being shown in China and Australia - but there is no deal currently in place in America after broadcasters Fox pulled the plug at the end of their contract.

 

Record Sport also understands MP & Silva are losing money on the deal as the SPFL coverage has been punted as part of larger contracts involving other leagues such as the Belgian and Danish top divisions.

 

The media moguls also sell the rights to major leagues such as the EPL, Serie A and the Bundesliga, along with several other sports, as part of 10,000 hours of screen time around the globe.

 

Hampden bosses sold their rights after the merger of the SPL and SFL in 2013 in an deal worth £20m over nine years, starting in the 2014/15 campaign and due to run to the end of the 2022/23 season.

 

A league spokesman said: “We understand MP & Silva’s negotiations with multiple partners are continuing and we remain in constant dialogue.”

 

MP & Silva were last night unavailable to comment.