The BBC Scotland channel and BBC Three will be showing two forthcoming international friendlies featuring Scotland in a deal with pay TV company Viaplay.
- Scotland’s fixtures against Northern Ireland and Finland will be shown on free-to-air television
- Sublicensing deal with Viaplay follows Viaplay’s decision to wind down its UK operations
- But Viaplay will continue to be the exclusive home of two away games featuring Scotland.
It’s long been a bugbear among Scottish football fans: while international men’s football games featuring England are mostly shown on free-to-air TV, Scottish games are behind a paywall.
However, for Scotland’s international friendlies against Northern Ireland and Finland this spring, rights holder Viaplay has struck a sublicensing deal with the BBC, which will open up the games to Freeview and Freesat users. The BBC will make the games available to a wider audience by showing them on the BBC Scotland channel and BBC Three.
Viewers in Northern Ireland can watch the Scotland v NI game with alternative commentary on BBC Two NI.
The two home matches are seen as key to the preparations for Euro 2024. The tournament starts just a week after Scotland’s last international friendly versus Finland. Euro 2024 will open with Scotland facing hosts Germany on 14th June.
Scotland live and free-to-air
- Scotland v Northern Ireland: Tuesday 26th March, kick-off 19:45. BBC Scotland TV, BBC Three, BBC Two NI [Alt commentary+pres team], iPlayer.
- Scotland v Finland: Friday 7th June, kick-off 19:45. BBC Scotland TV & BBC Three, iPlayer
However, Viaplay retains exclusive rights to Scotland’s two forthcoming away games. Netherlands v Scotland this month and Gibraltar v Scotland in June will remain exclusive to Viaplay subscribers.
Viaplay is due to hand over its UK channels to Premier Sports during the course of this year. Following financial troubles, Viaplay is curtailing its rapid international expansion to concentrate on a smaller number of countries.
Corporate comment
Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning, BBC Scotland, commented:
“Excitement is building for the tournament and we’re delighted we can bring the fans live coverage of two games that will be significant in the build-up to the campaign in Germany. These internationals are a welcome addition to our portfolio of live football this season. In the men’s game we have Scottish Cup matches, including the final, and regular Championship games on the BBC Scotland channel. And in the women’s game we had coverage of the Nations League and we continue to bring our audiences live League and Cup matches.”
Richard Sweeney, managing director of Viaplay Sports UK, added:
“Ahead of a huge Summer for the Scotland national team, we are thrilled to make these key friendlies available to the widest possible audience, thanks to our agreement with the BBC.”
Marc Thornham