BBC Scotland doubles its investment in Scottish football with new TV deal
BBC Scotland has confirmed a new four year TV contract with the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) in a deal reportedly worth over £10m.
The national broadcaster’s extended partnership with the SPFL is believed to be worth £2.7m per season- almost double the previous agreement- and will include Sportscene's Sunday night coverage as well as internet clips and live radio commentary.
The increased investment in Scottish football comes as a result of pressure from SPFL chairman, Ralph Topping, who warned the BBC that the league would not accept the same deal given the amount of money the public broadcaster was giving the English Premier League.
SPFL’s chief executive, Neil Doncaster, said league bosses were “delighted” that the longstanding deal had been extended with what he called a “significantly improved deal for both parties”.
Discussing the deal Doncaster said: "During the process of negotiating with the BBC, the SPFL board has been very robust and clear in its view of what we believe Scottish football coverage is worth and we are pleased that this has been taken on board and reflected by an improved agreement.
"As part of that we're also delighted that supporters will see enhanced match coverage which we'll provide to the BBC as part of the new contract."
BBC Scotland’s head of sport, Ewan Angus, added: “BBC Scotland's main aim was to provide supporters with improved coverage while also ensuring we get value for money for everyone who pays the licence fee.
"We firmly believe this new deal will benefit Scottish football as a whole by enhancing Sportscene's match highlights through increased camera provision and also allowing us to offer footage for fans on social media."
Live SPFL matches however will continue to be broadcast by Sky Sports and BT Sport until 2020.