BT Sport is ready to offer the Scottish Professional Football League its "biggest-ever broadcasting deal in return for exclusive rights to Scottish football," according to Stephen Mcgowan of the Scottish DAILY MAIL. BT and Sky Sports currently pay around £21M ($26M) per year to "share 60 live SPFL games," while BT also has exclusive rights to the League Cup. However, the telecom is "keen to secure the rights to Rangers and Celtic games and 60 live Premiership fixtures a season," and "launched a charm offensive" to persuade club chairs it "can go it alone." SPFL sources believe BT "will shatter the previous record deal" worth £31M ($38.3M) a season -- which was signed with Setanta in '08 -- to get its way. A "series of formal and informal discussions between the two sides began in mid-January" when BT execs joined SPFL Chair Ralph Topping and CEO Neil Doncaster in London "for talks." An SPFL source said, "It will all come down to numbers. There is a value in Scottish football and BT Sport appreciate that. The matter should move forward next year" (Scottish DAILY MAIL, 3/15).
