Tuesday, April 30, 2013
£250,000 fine for missing a goal
BT Sport, who paid £738million for Premier League rights, have imposed remarkable financial penalties on their TV production partners if they miss a goal or even a corner next season.
The clauses Sunset+Vine had to agree for the production contract include a whopping £250,000 fine if a goal is scored without being screened live during one of BT’s 38 PL games in the 2013-14 campaign.
There will also be the small matter of £150,000 to pay if the S+V cameras miss a corner kick or what’s described as an ‘offensive free kick’.
The six-figure penalty code was described as ‘astonishing’ by others involved in the tender process, with their lawyers never having encountered such a roster of fines as a contractual part of filming football.
Jeff Foulser, chairman of S+V, said: ‘There are financial penalties included in the contract, but we were happy to sign. BT have paid an enormous amount of money and want the best possible coverage. It’s not our intention to miss any goals. We have one of the world’s best football directors and vast experience.’
The S+V contract with BT is understood to be worth around £100m to deliver both PL football and Premiership rugby union. BT would not comment on ‘commercially confidential information’.
The clauses Sunset+Vine had to agree for the production contract include a whopping £250,000 fine if a goal is scored without being screened live during one of BT’s 38 PL games in the 2013-14 campaign.
There will also be the small matter of £150,000 to pay if the S+V cameras miss a corner kick or what’s described as an ‘offensive free kick’.
The six-figure penalty code was described as ‘astonishing’ by others involved in the tender process, with their lawyers never having encountered such a roster of fines as a contractual part of filming football.
Jeff Foulser, chairman of S+V, said: ‘There are financial penalties included in the contract, but we were happy to sign. BT have paid an enormous amount of money and want the best possible coverage. It’s not our intention to miss any goals. We have one of the world’s best football directors and vast experience.’
The S+V contract with BT is understood to be worth around £100m to deliver both PL football and Premiership rugby union. BT would not comment on ‘commercially confidential information’.
