beIN Sports reacts to rejection of Turkish football bid

beIN Sports, owner of Turkish pay TV platform Digitürk, has expressed concern after the Turkish Football Federation, the TFF, failed to accept its bid for the most attractive package of matches for the next three seasons of the top-tier Super Lig.

Digitürk’s bid for package 1-a, which comprises the biggest group of matches, was rejected on the grounds that the sum offered was less than that paid for the current season’s rights and those of the previous years.

The TFF decided to postpone the allocation of package 1-a rather than accept a current bid and said that winning bidders of the other packages offered would have one week to decide whether to go ahead.

In a carefully worded statement, beIN Sports said that the TFF’s statement had made clear that “Digiturk submitted the highest overall bid and the highest proposal for every single package, without exception”.

“In some cases, Digiturk offered double the amount of guaranteed revenues for clubs compared to the next highest bid.  Despite all the public posturing over recent weeks, Digiturk attributed the most value and afforded the most respect and good faith to the process and to Turkish football,” the company said.

It said that its bid was also the most “operationally proven”, given its track record in broadcasting premium sport in Turkey.

“In light of the confidential information that TFF has now publicly revealed about all the bids (and lack thereof), we will continue to act in the best interests of our business and our customers.  Digiturk has a rational and long term business plan – across our sports, movies, entertainment, internet, OTT and other services – while also being part of a global group.  The long term sustainability of our business is not based on the outcome of one single tender – and we will make appropriate decisions with that in mind,” the company said.