Talks that were going on between the Premier League, the Football League and various media organisations regarding match coverage are finally back on after a standoff which has lasted a week, leaving very little tile to get a deal hammered out before the new premier league season starts. The two sides effectively spat their dummies out last Wednesday and broke of all contact with each other.
This was after talks regarding an agreement broke down acrimoniously when the two footballing bodies walked away from the table. This included details about where the news media outlets were allowed to syndicate their material, the speed in which they could publish photos and to what extent readers could engage with the online content during a live match.
The media coalition including most of the national newspapers as well as worldwide agencies such as The Press Association, Getty Images and Reuters had cut back on their coverage opening weekend of the new football league season as well the Carling Cup first round matches. This was after they were locked out of the grounds after they refused to sign a temporary extension to their existing deal.
According to two separate sources with inside knowledge of the discussions, negotiations have now recommenced It is also thought that, despite their being an acrimonious dispute, common ground still exists between the two factions, and this increases the chances of a deal being agreed before the Premier League starts on Saturday.
The coalition, who are being represented by the Newspaper Publishers Association, have put forward demands that surrounding such things as a new deal picture and news agencies, a change in live match reporting and also the use of the social media networks, and these are thought to be not exactly poles apart from what the sport’s governing bodies have deemed acceptable.
They both agree that the existing deal is outdated, not surprising since it dates back to the 2003/4 season, two years before twitter even existed. A source, who is close to the footballing bodies, angrily dismissed the claims that they were old fashioned and trying to hold the game back from taking its place in the rapidly rising world of digital media coverage.