SONY SIX bags rights for The Scottish Professional Football League

To broadcast comprehensive Scottish football package in India for the next three seasons in partnership with leading media rights agency MP & Silva

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | July 31, 2013

The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) in partnership with leading sports media rights agency MP & Silva, announced today its exclusive three-year broadcast partnership with Sony SIX to showcase the Scottish Premiership and Scottish League One in India for the first time, covering the 2013/2014 to 2015/2016 seasons.

The agreement with Sony SIX includes broadcast rights for more than 70 SPFL matches that include Rangers FC coverage across all media platforms and devices, including television, mobile and internet media platforms. Football fans can look forward to catching the Scottish Premiership and Scottish League One when the season begins on the weekend of 2-4 August 2013.

The deal aims to build on Sony SIX's football offerings, which currently include rights to broadcast the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification matches, UEFA EURO 2016, Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2016 and the European Qualifiers for FIFA World Cup 2018.

SPFL Chief Executive, Neil Doncaster said, “We are delighted to partner with Sony SIX to broadcast the new Scottish Premiership and Scottish League One into India for the first time. They are the ideal partner to generate local interest in our League. India is a major market for sports content and we look forward to working closely with Sony SIX and MP & Silva to grow our audience in this hugely populated country where the consumption of football continues to gain momentum.”

On this new acquisition, Man Jit Singh, CEO, MSM India, said, “It has been our constant endeavor to bring other sports in a cricket crazy nation like ours.  Considering the rise of youth interest in football, this gives us a great opportunity to bring viewers one of the most formidable football leagues. We are thrilled to have acquired the broadcasting rights of the SPFL and we look forward to contribute to the growing interest of football in India.”

Commenting on this new initiative, N P Singh COO, MSM, added “The Scottish Premiership garners significant international attention and is another great addition to the catalogue of SIX's international sports content. The acquisition continues our momentum in establishing our foothold into diverse sports offerings. The Scottish Premiership is a great sporting property that will not only help us develop this sport in India but also continue to expand the fan base of football in India.

Andrea Radrizzani, MP & Silva Group CEO, said, “This new partnership between SPFL and Sony SIX underlines our ability to offer compelling content for broadcasters and business solutions for rights holders. We look forward to working with the SPFL to explore new markets to further build on the profile of the league globally.”

MP & Silva was appointed by the SPFL in June to be its exclusive distributor of the live media rights outside the European Union territories. The multi-media rights cover cable, satellite, terrestrial, betting, mobile and internet platforms, apart from those retained by club channels from season 2014/2015.

The SPFL has featured several top football names in Europe, including Henrik Larsson from Sweden, Italian Paolo di Canio and former Manchester United captain Roy Keane who featured for Celtic. Former Rangers players include Danish winger Brian Laudrup, the de Boer twins from the Netherlands, English midfielder Paul Gascoigne and current Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta.

The opening weekend will see Scottish Premiership newcomers Partick Thistle host Dundee United, while Scottish champions Celtic kick off at home to Ross County on 3rd August and Hearts are scheduled to visit St Johnstone. Dundee United will travel to Firhill, Inverness will host St Mirren and Aberdeen welcome Kilmarnock to Pittodrie. Motherwell, who finished runners-up last season, visit Hibernian the following day.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Own BestMediaInfo Android app for fastest updates and breaking news. Click here to download for free.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com