Articles

BBC Alba’s New TV Deal With The SPFL Is A Positive Step From The Broadcaster. At Last.

|
Image for BBC Alba’s New TV Deal With The SPFL Is A Positive Step From The Broadcaster. At Last.

BBC Alba has reached an agreement with the SPFL to show 38 “deferred broadcast” games in the top flight as well as a number of live Championship matches.

For those of us who have complained, bitterly, about the complete failure of the national broadcaster to support Scottish football this can only be good news. Earlier this week, I wrote an article on that very subject, and I still hope that they get the finger out and give us the Linfield game.

I am glad they’ve been working on this.

Deferred broadcast means that the games will not be shown live, of course. So this isn’t perfect. But it does afford ordinary fans who don’t have Sky packages the chance to see and record their favourite games if they are amongst those which are featured. I am under no illusions that, in the social media age, there’s any possibility of being able to lock out information about the score of a big game and sitting down to watch it “as live.” Someone always ruins that!

For all that, this is a positive step, and no mistake.

Congratulations to all involved.

We can only hope that the league can get a good deal the next time they sit down with Sky, who are reeling at a drop off in customers to the extent they are now attempting something new with football; they are dropping the numbered Sports channels, dedicating one to football instead of spreading games, and preparing a new twist on the subscription system, one where they offer matches (at least online) on a pay-per-view basis … this might suit people more than buying an all-in package.

It certainly suggests that the days of blanket coverage are coming to an end … and with them, maybe, the crazy money on offer to England.

Scottish football has a renegotiation coming up.

Many of us hope our games leaders take the whole show to BT Sport, whose coverage is generally agreed to be far superior to that which Sky provides. There’s an opportunity here. The way TV coverage of football is changing means that the next series of negotiations should be very interesting indeed.

Share this article