£50M AMBITION

++Clubs set SPFL yearly revenue target by 2029 ++ £30m Sky proposal awaits approval ++ Review into raising more money due out this week

SCOTTISH Premiership clubs have set the SPFL a revenue target of £50million a year by 2029.

The results of an independent review of the game’s finances will be unveiled this week.

Aberdeen, Dundee, Dundee United, Hearts and Hibernian commissioned management consultants Deloitte to explore ways of raising more money for clubs.

An innovation and strategy group consisting of Hibs owner Ron Gordon, Dave Cormack of Aberdeen, Andrew McKinlay of Hearts, Michael Nicholson of Celtic and Stewart Robertson of Rangers was established in January to act on the recommendations.

Last year the SPFL shared £28.5m amongst the 42 senior clubs. And plans to almost double that sum inside seven years were outlined to clubs at a meeting on August 5.

A new, extended Sky deal will deliver £30m by season 2028-29 — with the potential for that figure to rise to £38m a year should the broadcasters take up an option to buy up to two more bundles of ten games worth £4m each. To reach the target of £50m, the SPFL

will recruit specialist marketing and commercial staff funded from club prize money. Clubs have been asked to back a resolution approving the new Sky deal within 28 days. In reality, agreement could be reached much sooner, despite widespread criticism of the reluctance to go to market in search of rival bidders.

The £25m Sky currently pay for 48 Premiership fixtures every season comes in at approximately £520,000 per game. And the new deal — which sees the number of live games rise to up to 60 a season — could see that figure dip below £500k per game. Critics, including Rangers, have accused the SPFL of underselling the national game.

While the independent Deloitte report found that the current Sky deal brings in less than nations such as Norway (£61m) and Sweden (£48m), however, the Scandinavian nations allow broadcasters to show over 200 games per season. The report concluded that, on a price-pergame basis, the Scottish deal measures up favourably against other comparable nations.

With turnstile takings still the main income source, Scottish Premiership clubs prefer to limit the number of games broadcast to keep attendances high and boost atmosphere inside grounds.

As part of the new broadcast deal, fixtures not picked up by Sky under the new deal could be sold by clubs on a pay-per-view basis provided they are played outside the UK blackout window of 2.45pm and 5.15pm. The number of games Sky can show from each Premiership ground will also increase from four to five per season.