The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) and Digiturk, the regional subsidiary of pay-TV broadcaster beIN Sports, have agreed new terms on their rights deal for the 2020/21 Süper Lig season.

SportsPro reports that the arrangement will see BeIN pay the TFF TL2.65 billion (currently US$340 million) for the 2020/21 broadcast partnership, which covers rights to Turkey’s top-flight soccer league both domestically and overseas.

The 2021/22 season will be the last of the five-year contract the Qatar-based network signed in November 2016, with the parties to agree a final annual rights deal in line with the structure of this season’s agreement in early summer 2021. The fee for the 2021/22 season will be determined once the coronavirus pandemic has passed.

The deal for the 2020/21 season ends a dispute between the TFF and BeIN over the value of the contract that began during the 2019/20 season.

After originally signing a deal where the US$500 million annual fees were split evenly between Turkish lira and US dollars, the wild fluctuations in value of the Turkish lira saw BeIN seek to renegotiate the fees for that campaign. The broadcaster settled on a US$410 million agreement with the TFF for the 2019/20 campaign, but until 17th November had not agreed a new framework for this season.

The new reduced fee will be paid exclusively in Turkish lira, SportsPro understands, and takes into account the financial realities of the Covid-19 crisis. Despite a drop in overall value, the Süper Lig’s TV rights income remains the sixth highest in Europe.

TFF president Nihat Özdemir and BeIN chief executive Yousef Al-Obaidly signed the new contract alongside Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, Turkey's youth and sports minister, in Ankara.

Al-Obaidly said in a statement: “This agreement shows that we will continue to do what is necessary to support Turkish football and the TFF, despite the enormously challenging economic conditions that we face. At a time when broadcast revenue fees are critical to the survival of the league and the clubs, we will stand by them financially during these unprecedented times.”

Özdemir added: “We are very pleased that we have finally agreed an arrangement whereby everyone has clear financial certainty – which is paramount for all parties – and fixed caps that are very fair, for which we thank Digiturk. We also recognise the challenges that Turkish football is facing with illegal piracy which is destroying the value of our rights – therefore, together with Digiturk and the clubs, we will do everything in order to stamp out illegal broadcasting.”