Sky Bet bids to extend Football League deal

Sky Betting and Gaming has submitted an offer to extend its sponsorship of the English Football League for a further two seasons while at the same time reaching an agreement which prevents the governing body from awarding the package to a rival betting company, eGaming Review has learned.

The operator’s flagship Sky Bet brand has been title sponsor of the League’s three divisions; the Championship, League 1 and League 2, since the start of 2013-14 season, however, with the headline deal due to expire at the end of the next campaign, Sky Bet has been keen to trigger options to extend the contract.

As part of the negotiations, Sky Bet has reached an agreement which enables the Football League to speak to other parties, provided the Football League does not discuss the deal with alternative betting and gaming companies.

And should Sky Bet ultimately fail to secure an extension to the title sponsorship package, the operator has already agreed terms on an insurance policy in the shape of a two-year betting partnership deal focused predominantly on the Football League’s digital inventory and a Play-Offs rights package.

“After a thrilling 2014-15 season including three exciting Play-Off finals at the weekend, we are looking forward to our third year as title sponsor and our ongoing partnership with the Football League over the next three seasons,” Rob Painter, Sky Bet marketing director, said in a statement.

News of the contract talks comes after credit card company Capital One decided not to extend its sponsorship of the Football League’s League Cup competition when the deal expires at the end of next season.

“We would like to thank both Sky Bet and Capital One for their ongoing support and for the frank and positive discussions we have had with them in recent months,” Shaun Harvey, Football League chief executive, said.

“We will now begin discussions with potential new partners for our League competition and the League Cup. We do so from a position of strength, with both competitions and our clubs in excellent shape and with a proven track record for delivering outstanding value to our partners,” he added.

Sky Bet signed the initial Football League sponsorship deal just weeks’ before the start of the 2013-14 season, which left it with little preparation time to fully leverage the partnership during its first year.

However, last summer the firm called on the services of leading marketing firm M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment in order to put in place a strategy to maximise the relationship and engage with the fans of the 72 Football League clubs.

Last year Sky Bet utilised the sponsorship deal to trail iBeacon at Football League stadiums with Leeds United and Rotherham United among the first to test the mobile push notification technology.