New TV deal on Scottish football
- Published
The first live game will feature Ross County against Inverness
The Scottish Premier League and BBC Alba have announced a new two-year deal to continue coverage of matches on the Gaelic TV channel.
It will see Clydesdale Bank Premier League games broadcast live on BBC Alba for the first time.
Three live matches will be shown this season and three more during the 2013-14 season.
Delayed full match coverage of a further 35 games per season will be shown at 17:30 on Saturdays.
BBC Alba's previous deal was for delayed match coverage only.
The first live game will be Ross County versus Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 2 January with kick off at 15:05.
Commentary for the games will be in Gaelic.
Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the SPL, said he was delighted with the new deal.
He said: "This new partnership will allow us to reach far and wide into new audiences and communities across Scotland.
"The SPL already has two live television deals in place with Sky Sports and ESPN.
"We look forward to growing our relationship with BBC Alba to promote Clydesdale Bank Premier League football, and the Gaelic language, even further over the next two seasons."
Alan Esslemont, head of content for BBC Alba, added: "The Clydesdale Bank Premier League continues to be hugely popular with fans across the country.
"We are delighted to be able to return live Clydesdale Bank Premier League football to free-to-air television throughout Scotland and the UK for this first time since 2004."