The Scottish Professional Football League has an opportunity to "substantially increase" its income from overseas broadcasting rights following the "collapse" of its existing arrangement with MP & Silva, according to Matthew Lindsay of the HERALD SCOTLAND. The governing body terminated an agreement that was struck in '13 after the London-based sports agency "defaulted on payments." Professor Richard Haynes of Stirling University, an expert in sports broadcasting rights, questioned whether the company, which has worked with Formula 1, the Premier League and Serie A in the past, "ever truly maximised the earning potential of the game" in Scotland. Haynes believes the SPFL has an "outstanding chance to cash in on the huge numbers" of Scottish Premiership sides Celtic and Rangers fans who live abroad, in Australia and the U.S. "in particular," and "bank millions of pounds for its leading clubs." Haynes: "It is unfortunate for the SPFL to be in this position and to have to pull out of the deal. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision to make. But, at the same time, it opens up opportunities for them to strike deals which will be more lucrative and broaden the reach of Scottish football. I don’t think MP & Silva have been selling Scottish football appropriately or as the SPFL might have wanted them to." He added, "Celtic and Rangers have, along with Manchester United and one or two other clubs, the biggest audience out there who want to see their games. Ex-patriots, second and third generation families who have kept their ties and traditions of following these clubs. It is huge, it really is massive. It is definitely a market for TV companies to exploit" (HERALD SCOTLAND, 8/13).
