Digiturk and TFF resolve Turkish Süper Lig fee dispute

The Turkish Football Federation and beIN-owned pay-television broadcaster Digiturk have resolved their dispute over top-tier Turkish Süper Lig rights after weeks of negotiations.

Digiturk was seeking a change in the terms of the contract to ward against the volatility of the Turkish lira.

In 2017, the pay-television broadcaster agreed to pay the TFF the lira equivalent per season of Süper Lig’s dollar-denominated rights from 2017-18 to 2021-22. Half of the amount was to be converted to lira at a fixed exchange rate of $1/TRY3.26, while the other half would be paid at the exchange rate on the day of payment. Since the deal was signed, the exchange rate of the lira has fluctuated wildly, reaching a nadir of $1/TRY7.4, causing Digiturk’s fees to balloon.

The two parties are understood to have come to terms on a reduced annual dollar figure, with all payments subject to a new fixed exchange rate. The new exchange rate is unknown, though the TFF is known to have rejected an offer of $1/TRY4 in late July.

The revised agreement will also see Digiturk commit to launching a new “low-price and dynamic” OTT product for the Süper Lig, though there are no further details of how this will work at this time.

As part of the deal, the TFF has agreed to take a more public stance against the ongoing piracy of beIN’s properties, despite a host of major rights-holders conceding that their options against the widespread piracy were limited earlier this week.