SPFL bosses will not be pressing the panic button over the financial plight of League Cup sponsors Viaplay - as they’ve already banked a £2.5m cheque from the troubled TV firm for this season.The Scandinavian broadcasters are carrying out an urgent strategic review of their operations after suffering eye watering losses - believed to be in excess of £24m - in the last 12 months. And that has sparked fears they could pull the plug on their financial commitments to the Scottish game when the results of their internal probe are published Thursday. But Record Sport can reveal league top brass on Hampden’s sixth floor are relaxed about the potential for chaos - having already been paid up in full ahead of next season’s campaign.The current rights package runs until the summer of 2027 which means Viaplay have three more seasons as title sponsors to follow. But the SPFL have secured legal guarantees the future funding will also be honoured as promised by the media firm’s parent company. A source told us last night: “If these were serious solvency issues then it’s highly unlikely the fee for next season would already have been paid up in full as it has been in the last few weeks. In that respect, there is no immediate reason for concern where the ongoing Viaplay deal is concerned.”SFA bosses are equally at ease even though, unlike the SPFL, they do not deal directly with the broadcasters. Viaplay’s current rights deal for the Scottish Cup has only one season remaining and that contract is brokered by American global sports giants IMG.Scotland’s national team fixtures, meanwhile, are sold off to TV companies by UEFA and the funds then distributed as part of a qualification pool. News of tomorrow’s urgent announcement comes less than a year after Viaplay bought out Irish broadcaster Premier Sports in July 2022 and took over their existing contracts.A subsequent rebranding meant the League Cup had to undergo a name change midway through last season. Viaplay also hold exclusive rights to screen Scotland’s remaining Euro 2024 qualifiers as well as a specially arranged 150th anniversary friendly with England at Hampden in September.The contract is supposed to stay in place for Scotland’s qualification campaigns for the next World Cup, Euro 2028 and Nations League matches. But, with subscriber numbers struggling to hit expected targets Viaplay this week told investors that a previously published outlook for 2023 has been withdrawn with much weaker revenue now anticipated.
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