Stepan Shcherbachev, head of the 1+1 media sports projects department, gave an interview Fanday, in which he spoke about the broadcast of UPL matches with the participation of Dynamo, Zorya, Dnipro-1 and Metalist.
Stepan Shcherbachev— The 1+1 media group announced that it would broadcast the matches of Dynamo, Dnipro-1, Zorya and Metalist in the Premier League. The single telepool tender was won by Setanta. In this regard, the question arises: are you afraid of sanctions from the UPL and Setanta?
— We are television partners of football clubs, we have long-term contracts with them and have been broadcasting for more than 10 years. There can be no claims against us, because we do not violate anything. But for the violation of our rights, we will react accordingly.
— What evidence did the four clubs provide that they have broadcast rights to broadcast?
— As I said, there are already existing multi-year agreements between 1+1 media and football clubs. Regarding the details of their relationship with the League, it is better to contact the participants in the process directly. We are media partners who, first of all, produce content and put it on the air.
— Have these four clubs signed contracts now, or did someone have a valid one? What is the duration of the contracts?
- This is a commercial secret, but the contracts were signed in different years, because we started working with clubs at different times. Most of the contracts are 10 years.
— Is it true that the amount of payment to clubs from "1 + 1" will be 600 thousand dollars per season?
- The terms of cooperation, in particular financial ones, are a trade secret. However, I want to emphasize that this season we are showing matches completely free of charge. Our main task is to ensure that during this difficult time, as many fans as possible can watch the matches for free, without additional costs and difficulties.
Therefore, they are broadcast free of charge on all 1 + 1 media sites - on the national TV channels "2 + 2" and "Unian", on the partner OTT platform "Kyivstar TV" and on YouTube channels - FootballHub and "Profootball Digital" . So that football fans from all over the world can watch matches and cheer for their favorite clubs. All match production is supplied with the 1+1 media resource.
— FC Rukh also refused Setanta's offer, but did not sign a contract with 1+1 either. Were there any negotiations with FC Rukh (Lviv)? If not, why not?
— We would be happy about this cooperation in order to provide viewers with access to more matches. However, we know the position of FC Rukh and respect it. Our window of opportunity remains open.
— Which of the commentators will be involved in UPL matches?
- These will be commentators known to the audience - Igor Tsyganik, Vladimir Zverev, Alexander Novak, Alexander Zolotogorsky. We also plan to involve experts — football players who will help commentators cover the nuances of the game.
— Are there any post-match and pre-match studios planned?
— Discussions and studios are definitely planned. In particular, on the digital projects "1 + 1 media" - FootballHub and Profootball Digital. Colleagues will traditionally create additional content that will be of interest to fans.
— Will the legendary Profootball program be restored?
— We are thinking about it, but the decision has not been made yet. Whether it will be the Profootball program or some other project will become known later.
Andrey Piskun
