SPFL TV rights open from 2029-30 with Sky's rivals unclear
Peter Martin, Hugh MacDonald and Gordon Parks discussed who might bid against Sky as the SPFL puts its broadcast rights from 2029-30 on the market.
By PLZ Soccer,
The SPFL has opened up its broadcast rights from the 2029-30 season, and on The Journos, Peter Martin, Hugh MacDonald and Gordon Parks considered who might bid against Sky for them.
The backdrop is not straightforward. The BBC is cutting back and the way fans watch football is changing fast, which leaves open the question of who else will come forward when the rights are contested.
Doncaster's gamble
The panel discussed Neil Doncaster's gamble in opening up the rights, along with the BBC Scotland channel and what Sky and Premier Sports pay. They also went back over the Setanta route, discussed on the show as the Setanta mistake, and looked at who might be bidding this time.
The appetite for the game in Scotland was not in doubt. "We are fanatical about football in this country" was one of the lines from the discussion.
Bite-sized football
The panel turned to how viewing habits are shifting, with football becoming "bite-sized", and to the Premier League's falling viewing figures. Drones, virtual reality and watching three games at once were also part of the conversation about where Scottish football on TV goes next.
The outlook for the companies that carry the game was summed up in one line: "Our broadcasting companies are dying before our very eyes."
Newspapers then and now
The discussion also took in how newspapers have changed, setting the debate over television alongside the wider shift in how football is covered and consumed.