Turkey: championship's TV rights to be managed by a commercial business instead of the Federation

A commercial organisation, Superlig AS, which will include the 18 professional clubs of the Turkish first division (Spor Toto Super Lig) will be created, from 2017-18, to manage the negotiation of the TV rights to the Turkish championship, a process which was previously managed by the Turkish Federation, announced the TFF on 13/05/2016.

This innovation -- modelled on the Premier League -- must still be ratified by the Turkish Parliament, but would be supported by the Head of State, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Reuters on 13/05/2016. The pay-TV group Digiturk has retained the domestic TV rights to the Süper Lig until 2016-17, in a deal worth up to €361m per year (+40%), according to an agreement between the TFF and the company Krea İçerik Hizmetleri A.Ş. ve Prodüksiyon, the parent group of Digiturk, on 21/05/2012.

"Proper structuring of clubs and institutionalised management will boost the quality and market value of (Turkish) football... enabling clubs to escape from the swamp of debt. We want to be one of the biggest four footballing countries globally. Our target is to do…