ESPN and Sky to join forces in 'bidding war' for SPL matches
Sky and ESPN are set to launch a joint bid to screen Scottish Premier League
ESPN and BSkyB are set to launch a joint bid to screen the Scottish Premier League (SPL) from next season, with an announcement expected as early as today.
The broadcasting giants are understood to be close to tabling an offer for the rights that the football authority clawed back from Setanta Sports shortly before the Irish group collapsed earlier this month.
The joint bid will be a disappointment to the SPL as it was hoping to spark an auction between the two likeliest bidders for the rights package, with insiders saying it was unlikely to receive the same fee paid by Setanta. Setanta had one year to run on its current SPL deal for which it was to pay £14m, and had agreed a £125m four-year deal last year. One source said the new offer could be up to £40m lower.
The bid will provide some relief for the SPL, however, which had feared for the future of its smaller clubs in its division after Setanta's broadcasting money dried up. A spokesman for ESPN did not comment on the joint bid, but said: "As we continue to say, we are interested in rights where they are available and where they make business sense. But as we've not confirmed whether we have or have not bid, clearly we have no comment on this new speculation." Sky also declined to comment.
This would cap a remarkable entrance into the UK market for ESPN. The American sports channel, which is owned by Disney, has never screened football from England or Scotland before. (Independent News Service)
