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Premier League Appoints Susanna Dinnage As CEO

The Premier League's new CEO will be Susanna Dinnage, a TV exec who has been in charge of Animal Planet and "becomes the most influential woman in British sport," according to Matt Dickinson of the LONDON TIMES. Dinnage was selected by a panel led by Chelsea Chair Bruce Buck, with the decision ratified by the 20 clubs at a meeting on Tuesday. The meeting was "hastily convened," with some execs present and the rest on conference call. Dinnage is a Premier League side Fulham fan who once said that, given she had a season ticket at Craven Cottage, "My own sporting judgment clearly leaves a lot to be desired" -- but that was in '14 when the London club was relegated. It was "always likely" that Richard Scudamore’s successor would be chosen from TV and among the contenders for the job were senior execs from the BBC and ITV. Dinnage’s main task "will be to oversee negotiations for broadcast deals." With contracts in place for three seasons from '19, she "has time to learn the ropes." The clubs hope Dinnage’s experience in broadcasting will "help them make even more money in a changing market." She will also "need to show political wiles to avoid damaging splits." Growing demands from the Big Six for a greater share of overseas income led to changes to how those billions are divided, and "there will be more arguments ahead over the distribution model." Recent leaks have also "revived fears of a breakaway European Super League." Dinnage, who once said that her dream job would be as a zoologist, "must now learn to handle 20 fat cats" (LONDON TIMES, 11/13).

EXEC EXPERIENCE: In London, Tom Morgan reported Dinnage last year "narrowly missed out on landing the job" as CEO of Channel 4. As then-president of Discovery's U.K. networks, she was last year at the center of an "unprecedented disagreement" with Sky, attacking the broadcaster for failing to pay a "fair price" to carry its channels. Sky, on the other hand, thinks Discovery's price demands are "completely unrealistic." In January, she launched a "fierce attack" on the broadcaster, saying, "We believe Sky is using what we consider to be its dominant market position to further its own commercial interest over those of viewers and independent broadcasters" (TELEGRAPH, 11/13). In N.Y., Tariq Panja reported the five-person team appointed by the league to hire Scudamore's replacement "managed to keep their preference for Dinnage a secret" until Tuesday. Dinnage, whose broad experience in broadcasting and digital media "appealed to the Premier League's search team," joins an industry where women in leadership positions "continue to be the exception rather than the rule." The only other female leader of a top football league is French Professional Football League President Nathalie Boy de la Tour (N.Y. TIMES, 11/13).

'GOLDEN HANDSHAKE': In London, Matt Lawton reported England's top-flight clubs were "left stunned" by a request from Buck to contribute to a £5M ($6.5M) "golden handshake" for Scudamore. Ahead of an emergency EPL meeting held in London on Tuesday, Buck called the 20 clubs asking them to each make a £250,000 ($323,800) donation. While the clubs recognize the "fine job" Scudamore has done during his 19 years at the helm of the Premier League, "some are surprised by the bonus request" given the salary and bonuses the 59-year-old has earned in that time. He earns a basic wage of £900,000 ($1.2M) a year but receives closer to £2.5M ($3.2M) a year with the bonuses he gets "for negotiating the top flight's multi-billion pound broadcasting deals" (DAILY MAIL, 11/13).

VAR VOTE: In London, Matt Hughes reported the EPL could vote to introduce video assistant referees next season at its shareholders' meeting on Thursday. The 20 clubs will receive a presentation from the league and Professional Game Match Officials Ltd. about the testing that has been done on VAR this season, "which will lead to a discussion and a possible vote." The clubs voted against bringing in VAR this season at the meeting in April but there is "growing feeling that its introduction is inevitable" (LONDON TIMES, 11/13).

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