The start of Greece’s second-tier football division, Super League 2, has been delayed for a second time after the league’s clubs declined public broadcaster ERT’s pleas to reduce its deal by up to 60 per cent.
The 14 Super League 2 clubs voted unanimously to reject ERT’s offer, stating that they would only be willing to accept at most a 30-per-cent reduction.
ERT is thought to be waiting for a response by tomorrow (Thursday) to its offer of €600,000 ($659,000) for the rights to the home games of the three relegated clubs PAS Giannina, Levadiakos and Apollon Smyrnis, along with €340,000 for the rights to the other nine clubs.
The Super League 2 clubs could postpone the beginning of the league indefinitely until a resolution is found, according to the digitaltvinfo.gr website.
ERT has a deal in place to broadcast the Super League 2 after agreeing a slew of football media rights deals under the previous centre-left Greek government. A snap election earlier this year saw the centre-right New Democracy party oust the incumbents, Syriza, and reduce the public broadcaster’s funding.
Pay-television broadcaster Nova has taken advantage of ERT’s decreased government funding by acquiring the rights to top-tier Super League sides Panathinaikos and Aris Thessaloniki. Both clubs had deals with ERT and would have faced reductions in their deals had they not signed with Nova.
One of Greece’s most popular sides – PAOK – is still without a TV deal for this season, opting to air its matches on the club’s OTT platform, PAOK TV.