The Scottish FA has today signed a six year broadcast deal with IMG to globally market broadcast rights for the William Hill Scottish Cup. BBC Scotland and Premier Sports will each broadcast a selection of fixtures in the competition, in a move that will see more Scottish Cup matches on free-to-air TV than ever before.

The deal will extend IMG’s relationship with the Scottish FA to over 20 years and includes live coverage from every round as well as gaming, archive and digital clips rights. It will run until the end of season 2023-24.

Premier Sports bring their reputation of high-quality sports broadcasting to the Scottish domestic scene for the first time, having already made a positive impact as exclusive rights holders for Guinness PRO14 rugby and over 40 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League qualifying matches involving Scottish clubs.

BBC Scotland will add more depth to their broadcast coverage of the Scottish game and will support the promotion of the tournament across the country. From season 2019-20, BBC Scotland will also showcase one live match in Rounds 1 to 3 ensuring high quality coverage throughout the competition.

Supporters will be able to watch four live matches in Rounds 4 to 6, with both broadcasters each screening two live games per round on an exclusive basis. In the later stages of the tournament, Premier Sports will broadcast one semi-final exclusively while the other semi-final and the final will be shown across both channels.

Scottish FA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell, expressed his enthusiasm over the new broadcast deal, saying: “The William Hill Scottish Cup is a tournament that is steeped in history. In it, the clubs and players have created countless unforgettable memories and this deal will ensure that more action than ever before will be broadcast live to the nation.

“It will also drive significant revenue back to all the clubs who participate in the competition, ensuring ongoing investment into the game. We look forward to working with Premier Sports and the BBC to help us continue to tell the stories and cover the action of our top knockout competition.”

Michael Mellor, SVP, Football, IMG Media, said: “The Scottish Cup is one of the oldest competitions in world football and this new agreement with our partners at the Scottish FA will take us through to the 150th anniversary of the first one played in 1873/74. We look forward to ensuring this prestigious tournament is viewed as widely as possible on broadcast platforms around the globe.”

Richard Webb, Chief Operating Officer, Premier Sports commented: “We are delighted to be adding coverage of the Scottish Cup to our channel line-up. Over the last eight years we have established a positive relationship with Scottish football clubs and fans covering their teams European qualifiers. We are proud to be guardians of this historic cup competition and understand the significance, history and traditions the famous trophy demands. We look forward to bringing viewers quality coverage of the tournaments biggest games for the next six years.”

Steve Carson, Head of Multiplatform Commissioning, BBC Scotland said: “We are delighted to be significantly enhancing our Scottish Cup coverage through this new deal which will see us bring more live matches from the tournament than ever before. We will cover two live matches from Rounds 4, 5 and 6 and, from Season 2019-20, we will follow the early rounds across the country for the first time. We think this is good news for audiences in Scotland given the huge appetite which exists for Scottish football, and it demonstrates our commitment to the game here.”