Telegraph and Fantasy League fall out over data dispute

A row has erupted between The Daily Telegraph and Fantasy League, the company that supplied the newspaper with its Fantasy Football game until the end of the previous soccer season.

The Daily Telegraph is to produce its own game, Telegraph Premier League Football, which was launched last Wednesday.

On the same day, the newspaper printed a league table of players’ ratings based on last year’s scores, which Fantasy League claims is no longer the Telegraph’s data.

Fantasy League has complained to the Telegraph, which is an official sponsor of the Premier League (MW June 25), and has asked the newspaper not to republish the table.

Charles Marks, sales and marketing director of Fantasy League, says: “Our scores from last year were reproduced in the newspaper again this year. That’s something we are unhappy about. It’s not the Telegraph’s data. Copyright is a very difficult area and we are spending a lot of money and time looking at it.”

He adds that the company will be monitoring the game closely.

A Telegraph spokesman says: “Fantasy League has not clearly identified to us what information they are objecting to.” He says the player ratings will continue to be used.

Fantasy League has now signed a two-year deal to supply its competition to The Times. The game has a 100,000 prize pool and will be supported with TV advertising and direct marketing.

It will be launched in a special Premier League supplement in The Times on August 3.

Capital Bank, the largest subsidiary of the Bank of Scotland, is to be a sponsor of the Telegraph’s Premier League competition.