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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Gabriel McKay

SPFL dismiss 61 game Sky deal as 'entirely false' as they insist contract remains as status quo

The SPFL have dismissed as 'entirely false' a report that states Sky will show an extra 13 games for no extra cost.

It was reported that the broadcaster would show 61 games rather than 48 without paying any extra money to clubs.

That would reduce the cash on offer per game from £520,833 to £404,918, with the option to show five home games per club and six for champions Celtic.

Now though the governing body has hit back and insisted that the deal remains as originally set out.

A spokesperson for the SPFL said: "The article stating that the SPFL's deal with Sky Sports is for 61 games rather than 48 is entirely false.

"The journalist has been informed it's false and has refused to remove the story but, for the record, the Sky Sports contract is for up to 48 games per season as stated in all official communication from the SPFL."

The SPFL struck a £160million deal with Sky in 2018 for exclusive broadcast rights from 2020-21 onward.

That represented an increase of around 20 per cent from the previous shared deal with BT Sport, with chief executive Neil Doncaster calling it "the largest-ever injection of broadcast investment since the SPL was founded over 20 years ago".

With fans not expected to be allowed into stadiums when the new season starts in August a deal has been struck to allow Premiership clubs to stream to season ticket holders the matches not broadcast on television.

Under current rules there is a 3pm blackout on matches across the country, with only club TV subscribers from outside the UK and Ireland able to tune in.

The new plan would allow clubs to show their home matches via their individual streaming services but only to season ticket holders.

It's hoped that the incentive will encourage supporters to snap up season tickets despite the threat of closed door games.

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