[urlhttps://www.sportbusiness.com/news/super-league-close-to-private-investment/[/url
As discussed elsewhere (but worthy of its own thread), it would seem that the SL chairmen have agreed in principle to accepting some form of outside investment for a share of any future profits.

Given not many (if any) of the current SL clubs are profitable, how will this work? If CVC Capital Partners (if it's them) own 27% of SL, as they seem to do with the Union Comps, will they be in receipt of 27% of the new TV deal that they negotiate?

What happens if they can't nail down a better deal? If it remains at £200 million, then they'll be on £53,000,000.....if they pay the same figure as touted for the Celtic Union Comp, then they'll be in profit in a decade or so.....and all for what? A short term investment of cash?

The £40 million a year income from TV would be reduced to less than £30,000,000 with CVC getting £10,8,000 per Year ROI on an investment of £120,000,000....not many banks are getting 9.8% interest, but that's what this deal would represent and half way through CVC are in profit, with 27% of something they didn't own before?

How will this impact P&R?
If SL as an entity agree to this, does it mean that P&R will be removed?
If so, what next for the game below SL?
How will the SL clubs divi-up the money?
Which club will waste it first?

As an aside, if it is CVC Capital Partners, they don't have a squeaky clean image and have their roots in the "credit' business, so is this nothing more than a high interest loan that the SL chairmen don't really have the right to take out?

Although perhaps they haven't? https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/10574736 ... ot-happen/ Any 'investment' from PE will essentially be a loan to be paid back (fairly quickly) at a high interest rate and if things do go pear shaped it's very unlikely that it will be the 'investors' who lose out.

Although perhaps they haven't? https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/10574736 ... ot-happen/ Any 'investment' from PE will essentially be a loan to be paid back (fairly quickly) at a high interest rate and if things do go pear shaped it's very unlikely that it will be the 'investors' who lose out.

I don’t trust our current SL chairmen to negotiate with PE with any level of competence.

I don't think it's a share of individual club profits (if any as you correctly say), rather a share of the superleague business profits on the whole that they will be seeking. As it's an area that has been lacking in the past, hopefully a pe company may help generate more profits, through experts in the field rather than relying on in house RL people.

On the whole it's probably worth a go

You'd hope none would and that they'd invest in sensible stuff like marketing, ground improvements, player development...

Won't happen though. Instead it'll be overdue tax bills, mediocre Aussies, repayments to directors...

And the game will be even worse off going forward.

That's it in a nutshell. Superleague bosses realise they have no real leverage with SKY and no expertise to create any. Private Equity companies have people who are very good business brains and they have been approached to see if they can do something with the game to make it more appealing to SKY, get a better offer from SKY.

I dunno, we got £200M last time, we may be looking at £120M this time, so maybe changes to the game, or possibly finding rival TV interest could excite SKY to put it up to £150M and the PE company takes a cut of that for pushing the deal higher than the SL bosses are capable of doing. As for whether this is taking place or not the first article indicates interest from the PE companies and the second one maybe indicates the PE companies can't see what they could do? I can't either unless......

How about go Transatlantic?

1. Not the way I understand it at all. The PE company take a cut of the extra money they generate guiding Superleague to the best 2020 deal possible. a win win thing if it works.

2. The Chairmen were cheesed off when they agreed to guaranteed promotion and then TWP went and won it. That's when they were calling for Toulouse to be promoted instead, but that agreement between the RFL and SL was legally binding. For this coming season Leigh must be favourites so P & R won't be blocked - especially if TWP came bottom - McManus, Pearson and Lenigan wont block that. As for "the money" not sure what you mean?

As for the game under Superleague it would go back to what it was before the £200M deal was struck by the RFL with SKY i.e. no funding, so I can't see an SL negotiated deal giving the Championship anything. However last time Superleague commented on the game below SL, they wanted to have an SL1 and an SL2 of 10 clubs each and cut 16 championship and league 1 clubs adrift.

IIRC the championship clubs showed solidarity and refused to vote 16 of their colleagues onto the scrapheap

I'd very much suggest that they won't just be taking a cut of any 'increase' they negotiate. Besides which, wasn't one of the (in fact the main) reasons given for taking on Elstone his ability to negotiate a new TV deal?

Indeed, Elstone was meant to be charging in, armour on, sturdy steed underneath him. So far, I can't see that he has achieved much?

Lol when did SL ever get 200m?? That’s hilarious

[url=https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/super-league-close-to-private-investment/Yeah. Hysterical innit[/url

Wrong again Stephanie dear.

Quote ="Mr Dog"I'd very much suggest that they won't just be taking a cut of any 'increase' they negotiate. Besides which, wasn't one of the (in fact the main) reasons given for taking on Elstone his ability to negotiate a new TV deal?'" I don't see that anyone can negotiate a new TV deal with SKY other than accept what they offer unless there's some leverage for an increase, or in Elstone's case avoiding a decrease!!. If you remember last time the idea was BT were in the frame and SKY reacted by upping the deal by a lot of money on a take it now or leave it basis with little "negotiation" to get the deal and shut out BT. What cards does Elstone have now BT aren't in the running? The idea of the Private Equity approach is very subtle and based on their ability to make a business more attractive to business partners who in this case is SKY and also other potential buyers. I have heard the idea of one or two new style media organisations who could be looking to bid, but our problem remains the minority interest in our game. On this point look here:- https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... rt-elstone Elstone's only idea I know of was to have a very successful London such that loads of people amongst the 9 Million down there would want to buy in to broadcasters to follow Rugby League, not that he could make that happen and nor do I suspect can private equity firms hence this news story has seemingly died a death pretty quickly. I think Elstone is just a runaround for the SL bosses....

Quote ="Mr Dog"I'd very much suggest that they won't just be taking a cut of any 'increase' they negotiate. Besides which, wasn't one of the (in fact the main) reasons given for taking on Elstone his ability to negotiate a new TV deal?'" I don't see that anyone can negotiate a new TV deal with SKY other than accept what they offer unless there's some leverage for an increase, or in Elstone's case avoiding a decrease!!. If you remember last time the idea was BT were in the frame and SKY reacted by upping the deal by a lot of money on a take it now or leave it basis with little "negotiation" to get the deal and shut out BT. What cards does Elstone have now BT aren't in the running? The idea of the Private Equity approach is very subtle and based on their ability to make a business more attractive to business partners who in this case is SKY and also other potential buyers. I have heard the idea of one or two new style media organisations who could be looking to bid, but our problem remains the minority interest in our game. On this point look here:- https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... rt-elstone Elstone's only idea I know of was to have a very successful London such that loads of people amongst the 9 Million down there would want to buy in to broadcasters to follow Rugby League, not that he could make that happen and nor do I suspect can private equity firms hence this news story has seemingly died a death pretty quickly. I think Elstone is just a runaround for the SL bosses....

oh Stephanie

The simple fact is Elstone or any external body will struggle to negotiate an increase or even the same money unless Sky have competition for the TV rights.

They need to generate interest from other TV companies to try and create a bidding war, in that I wish them luck.

Back to the original point, I’d welcome external investment but with caution and the question of what we would do with the cash? I’m no business expert but RU must have seen something positive in the idea. I’d love us to be able to build a RL version of Twickenham meaning revenue streams from finals & internationals stay within the game.

I got that covered. Perez is currently applying his skills, effort and an undeniable passion for Rugby League at Bradford.

Plan is he stays there and Mr. Argylle is offered a place in Superleague with all our love and blessings as owner of the Bradford Bulls.

Instead of flushing £10 Million and more down the sewers of Toronto, Mr. Argyle redevelops Odsal into the Twickers of the north (well sort of) and yes we hold all our big events there.

whatthehellsitherenottolike there? Nice one trainman

Whilst pie in the sky, the idea of argyle buying bradford would be fantastic and would stand a far better chance of survival and dare i say profit than toronto ever will.

Wonder where SteJeBron is...?

Given Jean was posting at 4.45am in Kiev a few days ago, i suspect its back In sydney. Stephanie will be licking her wounds after being owned again in regards to the current sky/sl tv deals value.... She was also quite ranty yesterday evening, so may be suffering with "ladies problems".....

Back on topic.

I see the scribes at Total shambles RL are copying and pasting the article I posted here at the start of the thread. There's lots of "League Express understands" and League Express also understands as well as "up to 5 interested parties", with no more information than was available a month ago but lots of speculation.

Given that this information and pretty much all information is now available on-line, I wonder if the venerated scribes of these unbiased and realistic papers are paid a salary or just an hourly rate for trawling the net to copy and paste articles published elsewhere?

If further proof that these papers are just a rehash of rumours, the idea that Rothschild have been appointed but to find suitors for SL, but have no been paid is insane. Rothschild do nothing, for nothing, for nobody....EVER!

Possibly the biggest own goal in these publications long history may have been to publish the fact that the Premiership Union guys were offered 150 million for 51% and instead negotiated 200 million for 27%. .....therefore leaving the door open to howls of derision no matter how much money is raised by this flogging off of the family silver.

You mean like "Nosey Parker", the king of message board rumour recycling?