Carling happy with Old Firm deals

Sky-ESPN is paying less than half what Setanta was to pay before going bust

Drinks giant Carling insists that the Scottish Premier League's new television contract has no bearing on their Old Firm shirt sponsorship deals.

There had been speculation about the future of the sponsorship after the demise of the SPL deal with Setanta.

But ESPN-Sky this week agreed to take over - but paid half as much.

And Paul Miller, managing director of Molson Coors in Scotland, said: "We're looking at extending our relationship with the Old Firm into the future."

There are fears that the standard of the SPL will suffer as a result of the £65m five-year broadcasting deal as many clubs had budgeted for receiving much more.

And Celtic and Rangers, whose current deals with Carling have entered their final year, have been highly critical of the SPL over its handling of the broadcasting rights.

However, Miller said that "no decision had been made" about whether or not the deal would be extended and that "discussions are ongoing".

"The new TV deal has no bearing in our thinking in regard to the Old Firm," he added.

"The Old Firm brand is very strong and their exposure is very significant to the market we want to be exposed to as well, so there's no issue there at all."