The Premier League "shortlisted" senior execs from the BBC and ITV as it "prepares to conclude the hunt for a successor" to Exec Chair Richard Scudamore, according to Mark Kleinman of SKY NEWS. Tim Davie, who runs BBC Studios, and Tom Betts, ITV's strategy director, are reportedly among three contenders to become CEO of the world's "richest domestic football competition." A five-person panel, led by Chelsea Chair Bruce Buck, is expected to recommend a preferred candidate to a meeting of Premier League clubs in mid-November. The presence on the shortlist of Davie, who has "spearheaded" the BBC's commercial activities since '13, and Betts, ITV's director of corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, "may come as little surprise" given the nature of the Premier League role. Most of its income "is generated from domestic and overseas broadcast rights," while its move away from having a single title sponsor to multiple partnerships with the likes of Barclays, Cadbury, Coca-Cola and Nike "has also reaped rich rewards." It is "unclear" who the other candidate is. Mike Darcey, a former exec at Sky, is a rumored contender, while Gavin Patterson, a "keen Liverpool supporter who will shortly step down" as BT Group's CEO, "is thought to have indicated that he is not interested in the role" (SKY NEWS, 10/13). In London, Jason Burt reported even if it is not Davie or Betts, it is "likely to be someone with their kind of background," which "points to the direction" in which the EPL is heading. That is definitely toward "new media, new platforms" and the monetizing of new markets. If it works, the Premier League could be on the brink of an "astonishing spike in revenue -- yet again" -- but if it does not, then its collective strength "could be seriously questioned," with the "Big Six" clubs "possibly renewing their threats to break away and be part of some kind of European league" (TELEGRAPH, 10/15).
