Scottish soccer’s SPFL has today announced a new broadcast deal with UK and Ireland pay-TV network Premier Sports through the 2028-29 season.
Under the five-year agreement, the broadcaster will show 20 live and exclusive Premiership matches each season, starting with the 2024-25 campaign.
Premier Sports acquired the rights as part of a “competitive bidding process”, which the SPFL said attracted multiple bidders.
The news follows the extension of the league’s contract with Sky Sports in 2022, which saw the pay-TV giant secure the rights to show up to 60 live Premiership matches per season.
The new deal with Premier Sports was carved out after Sky again declined to air the SPFL's full quota of matches that it receives through the deal, allowing the SPFL to sell 20 games.
The SPFL has been shown on Sky for the entirety of its existence and the renewed deal with the broadcaster, which takes effect at the beginning of 2024-25, will see the number of games broadcast each season increase from 48 (under the current agreement) to 60, much less than the 228 total games that take place in the Premiership each season.
Premier Sports’ new agreement enhances its coverage of Scottish soccer as it already shows the domestic Premier Sports Cup (which it title-sponsors), Scottish Cup, and the national team’s home soccer internationals.
SPFL group chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “This is tremendous news for SPFL clubs and supporters alike and means that up to 80 Premiership matches will be broadcast live next season across Sky Sports and Premier Sports. This will be the highest number of live matches ever broadcast from the Scottish Premiership.
“We are extremely grateful to Premier Sports for their increased investment into the game, which will bring an additional eight-figure sum into Scottish football over the next five years, meaning further record-breaking payments to clubs.”
At the end of last year, Premier Sports reacquired its UK business from Viaplay Group after the Swedish media company divested from the UK completely.
Through that deal, Premier Sports reclaimed its UK sports channels and associated rights.
The service, which is available as a premium TV channel as well as an online service, also holds the rights to Spanish soccer’s top-tier LaLiga competition, as well as rugby union’s United Rugby Championship and ice hockey's NHL, in the UK.
