I believe the SPL will decide this week whether to accept a proposal by Setanta to extend their SPL coverage from 38 games a season to over 60.

It has been suggested that the extra televised games will take place on Friday and Saturday evenings, but this is speculation.

Setanta will of course be paying the SPL more money if this goes ahead, and the additional games will prodominantly feature non-OF teams like ours. Good news for the club's bank balance, and for armchair fans. Maybe not so good for fans attending the games.

Given the financial state of the game in Scotland, I think it is likely that clubs will vote in favour.

Aye, but are Sultana gonna reduce their subscription fees?

£140 for 38 ShitPL games or £50 for 50 premiership games, mmm what deal to go for?!

Don't like this idea - OF will get the majority of the additional money (as always) and the rest will be bought off with a few extra quid here and there if they get on the TV.

It's not more money the game needs on the whole it is more even distribution of the money that is already there and for those who are still not doing so to cut their cloth according to what they have, not what they might get.

One of the biggest issues is not enough people putting bums on seats up and down the country and the SPL want to risk reducing those numbers and increasing the problem by having more televised games!!!!!

It's hard enough for people to plan ahead for fixtures as it is without giving Setanta an even bigger say in moving games to alternate times/dates. How many people ended up missing out on our games which were shifted this season due to television? It may have put a few extra quid in the bank, but you have to draw the line somewhere - yet again the "bigwigs" are feckin with our game and it's traditions (Saturday afternoon football) for the sake of a few quid. Some things should not be for sale.

Friday and Saturday night football!! - don't fancy that much

The rumours I have heard is that the extra 22 games WILL NOT feature either of the OF .... also, the sponsorship may be extended by a few seasons which is probably good news given the BOS withdrawing their support.

Limited (subscription) televised viewing and as such fewer people watching games on TV is unlikey to be attractive to a new sponsor who wants everyone to see their name at every opportunity. Therefore what you gain in one hand you lose in the other.

Mmmm, only two live games featuring us this season and both at home against each of the Old Scum. I wouldn't hold my breath for any more than that, but a few away games would be nice, especially as we are unable to get to all of them.

Obviously SKY remain disinterested in renewing their coverage of SPL football.

It looks very much as though Senanta is the only game in town.

Indeed, and they are also trying to get the rights to the lower leagues with a view to showing Scottish football every day of the week.

IMO, Setanta is not worth the money. But now you get NASN with it so I am all smiles!!!

:D :D :D

I just wish the powers that B would drop setanta and go back to sky so that us overseas fans can get to watch the boys play

I know where your coming from Jamesie ... I think Aus and NZ 'viewers' have to go through the same hassle as potential viewers in North America. In fact, although you have to get over a few hassles in the USA to get OF coverage (i believe), nothing at all is available domestically in Canada ...... yet every saturday I can usually watch up to 3 live games in a row (SKY games) on a non subscription channel (sportsnet) .... Spurs/Arsenal, and Newcastle/WBA last weekend for example

if 'regular' guys at internetfootball can broadcast games over the internet with only minor hassles, surely Setanta can grab some cash from us ex-pats for a similar but higher quality service ???

Santa TV are also rumoured to be interested in taking over the coverage of the SFL from Football First which is finishing this weekend.

Santa TV are also rumoured to be interested in taking over the coverage of the SFL from Football First which is finishing this weekend.

so they'll be playing on Tuesdays at 10pm???

Personally, if there were live SFL games and a wider coverage of SPL games, I would be tempted to subscribe so I could watch ICT games I am unable to make... and to watch the odd game in the First Division, i.e. Livvy getting gubbed by Gretna!

If I mind right the figures allegedly being discussed were something like 60k for each Home team for a live game with 40k going to the Away team. Each week it worked out that the other teams would get about 8k for featuring in a highlights package.

Setanta's proposal has been approved by the SPL :

- Contract extension to 2010

- Increase from 38 games a season to 60. The extra games will NOT feature the OF.

I reckon I'll subscribe for the new season, as will a lot of fans who want to see their own team more (especially as they won't fancy going to games on a Friday night etc)

It will all end in tears - and those who voted in favour of it better not go complaining when attendances start to fall even more.

I agree CD and how can you subscribe if you don't have Sky? pay through the nose on freeview??

Record TV deal could result in Monday night matches for SPL

STEPHEN HALLIDAY

MONDAY night football could become a regular fixture of the Bank of Scotland Premierleague next season as a result of the new £54.5 million television deal with Setanta Sports announced yesterday.

In the biggest TV contract ever secured by the SPL, Setanta will screen live coverage of 22 matches featuring non-Old Firm clubs in addition to the 38 live games a season it currently shows on a Sunday afternoon. It has yet to be decided when the extra matches will be scheduled but the preferred option is a Monday evening.

The existing £33 million agreement with the satellite broadcaster, struck in the summer of 2004, still had two more seasons to run but has been renegotiated to the end of the 2009-10 campaign.

It is now worth £13.625 million a year to the SPL's 12 member clubs, an increase of over £5 million a year on the initial contract, and is a ringing endorsement of Setanta, which faced widespread scepticism when it claimed the exclusive live rights to SPL matches from the BBC two years ago. Setanta passed its initial target of 89,000 subscribers some time ago and is now understood to have well in excess of 100,000.

Lex Gold, the executive chairman of the SPL, welcomed the new deal yesterday which will also lend considerable support to the league's search for a new title sponsor to replace the Bank of Scotland, which is pulling out when its contract expires at the end of next season.

"We are absolutely delighted to agree an extension to our agreement with Setanta," said Gold. "It is a superb deal for our clubs financially and allows them to plan for the future with increased confidence. Setanta first approached us around three months ago and we were more than happy to renegotiate the contract with them.

"They have been excellent to work with and their production values are outstanding. They have delivered outstanding coverage and the fact they are extending it with another 22 games a season is fantastic news. We had a lot of feedback from supporters who wanted more matches not involving Celtic and Rangers to be covered live and this deal delivers that.

"In terms of getting a new sponsor for the SPL, it is also a considerable boost to be able to offer this level of television coverage as part of the package. We have already done some preliminary work on that front and we are confident we will find a successor to the Bank of Scotland who have been great sponsors for us.

"Attendances at SPL matches have risen by four per cent this year, after a three per cent rise the previous year, so Setanta have helped us in the process of building up the league."

Setanta Sports 1, the company's flagship channel, will move to a full seven-days-a-week schedule in July to prepare for the new SPL season. The introduction of magazine and discussion programmes will supplement Setanta's existing coverage of Italian, Dutch, French and German football.

Colin Davidson, Setanta's head of production, revealed that it has four possible slots for the additional 22 SPL live games, many of which will feature Hearts and Hibs.

"We have to discuss it with the SPL and check with the police authorities," said Davidson, "but at the moment we are looking at either Friday night, Saturday lunchtime, early Saturday evening or a Monday night. I think Monday night would be our preferred option for a regular slot for the extra games."

Davidson, who left a secure position with Sky Sports to spearhead Setanta's foray into Scottish football, is understandably delighted with the success enjoyed by the broadcaster in confounding the sceptics.

"I'm thrilled at what we have managed to achieve in such a short space of time," he said. "There was a lot of doubt about us when the deal was first announced two years ago, perhaps understandably, but I think we have answered that and we look forward to getting bigger and better."

An annual subscription to the Setanta Sports package, which also includes Setanta Sports 2, North American Sports Network, Setanta Ireland, Celtic TV, Rangers TV and Racing World, currently costs £140. It is likely to be increased as a result of the new SPL contract.

"That's under discussion at the moment," said Davidson, "but if the subscription fee does increase, it won't be by a dramatic amount and we will still be providing great value for money."

• The deadline for bids for television rights packages to the Premiership in England expired at 2pm yesterday.

Sky is favourite to land five of the six packages of 23 Premiership games, with a group of other companies competing for packages too.

Sky currently has exclusive rights but the European Commission stepped in to make sure others also get access to live Premiership coverage and Setanta is thought to be the company most likely to secure a package. Other companies including NTL, ITV and Channel 4 are also thought to have been potential bidders.

I see that they have 4 slots available for screening the additional games. Friday evening, Saturday lunch time or evening or a Monday night. They say Monday night will be their preferred option. Surely Saturday either early or late kick off would be the best time to encourage attendances.

David Sutherland felt last night that it is a very positive thing, as he expects most of our extra games will be away games and it will therefore provide a service to the fans who can't or don't go to away games.

We might take a relatively small away support, but although it is small it is perfectly formed. There is not much likelihod of there being much of an away support on a Monday night!!

SATURDAY PLEASE

I'll look for an e-mail address as we are being penalised for our location. It won't make much difference to the clubs in the Central belt. They even say in their press release that many of these extra games will feature Hibs or Hearts.

No other broadcaster appears interested so the SPL are in no strong position to dictate terms to Setanta.

As I have said before - some things should not come down to money. The bottom line for clubs may be improved, but it's another chisel mark in the games traditional values. Watching football should be all about getting off your butt and getting to the game. We are fast approaching an era where all games will be televised and nobody will have to go anywhere near a stadium, and anything that encourages or makes moves towards such a scenario is a bad thing IMO.

Absolutely agree CaleyD.......the game needs crowds to build performances and encourage players.

Potential ICT fans who live locally should put their £140+ to a season ticket and get out to the game....much more healthy that watching the OF on TV.

Problem is that SANTANA, like the others ,is now getting a stranglehold on live sports coverage. It's only a matter of a few years now, before the cost of this coverage will begin to soar, folks will stop subscribing, income will fall, the deals will stop and the SPL clubs will be back in the mire again having paid big money to players and invested on the back of TV income which will dry up.

Appreciate ex-pats position but nothing is better than going to sporting events and being part of the occasion.

Some people keep making reference to tv causing diminishing crowds. Fact is that regardless of tv coverage crowd numbers are on the up and will continue to rise. People will always want to be a part of the action.

Personally, if there were live SFL games and a wider coverage of SPL games, I would be tempted to subscribe so I could watch ICT games I am unable to make... and to watch the odd game in the First Division, i.e. Livvy getting gubbed by Gretna!

With reading at the weekend, lex gold talking about SPL2 i think the idea of two leagues of live tv coverage, would give, a higher profile for the lower leagues.

Might open up scottish footy over the world