SPL prevent Old Firm selling individual TV rights

The Scottish Premier League's chief executive Neil Doncaster has made it clear that Rangers and Celtic will not be allowed to sell individual television rights.

Scotland's Old Firm have been unhappy with the SPL's decision to sign a contract with Sky and ESPN following the breakdown of the deal with the Irish broadcaster Setanta's British division. The deal leaves SPL champions Rangers receiving less television money than the English Premier League's bottom team.

Doncaster has admitted to the Daily Mail:  "There's no doubt in my mind that we need to look very carefully at where the SPL is going. There are two very big clubs in our mix and they certainly in the past made no secret that they may be open to invitations from elsewhere. The Premier League made it unequivocally clear where they stand on that last year and that means that the two clubs, Celtic and Rangers, are likely to be there for the foreseeable future.

"I don't think it has any impact at all on individual selling because that is not allowed under the SPL constitution. I find the idea of individual selling very difficult - for me that's not what football is all about. Collective selling makes a more level playing field for the game."