SPFL chief Neil Doncaster optimistic about broadcast and sponsorship income

Neil Doncaster is optimistic of securing more broadcast and sponsorship income for Scottish football next season.

The Scottish Professional Football League chief executive declared that a new title sponsor was in the pipeline and expressed confidence that new broadcast opportunities would be taken up.

The league’s current sponsor, online car dealer cinch, has invoked a clause to end its contract early at the end of this season.

Doncaster told BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound: “Optimistic we’ll have a sponsor in place for next season. It’s never done until it’s done. It’s been a difficult market, but I would say Scottish football is in a very good place.”

Asked whether the deal would be more lucrative than the contract with cinch, Doncaster said: “I would certainly hope so.”

Doncaster is working on a television deal to supplement the long-term contract with Sky Sports, who have not taken up their full quota of games again this season.

“We’re going up from 48 to a maximum of 60 with Sky, giving the clubs the ability to have up to five pay-per-view games a season,” he said.

“Crucially, having the ability to take a further 20 games to market. We’re in the process of that at the moment. We issued a invitation to tender to various broadcasters and we’re working through the responses now.

“We’d love Apple and Google to be bidding aggressively for our rights, but we’re not quite in that space.

“Amazon are going to be out of the English Premier League market. Other potential bidders, you’ve got DAZN, who are by volume one of the biggest sports broadcasters in Europe.

“You’ve got Premier Sports, TNT/Discovery. There are certainly people out there who may be short of football content in Scotland and will take an interest.”