BBC Scotland and SPFL agree new TV, radio and online deal
- Published
The return of regular Old Firm clashes will be a feature of next season's Scottish Premiership
BBC Scotland has agreed a new four-year deal with the Scottish Professional Football League to cover matches across television, radio and online.
It will mean enhanced match coverage on the Sportscene programme, additional social media clips and highlights on the BBC Sport website.
SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: "This is fantastic news for Scottish football fans."
He said it was "a new and significantly improved deal for both parties".
The agreement means that BBC Sport Scotland will continue to provide television and online highlights and live radio commentaries of Scottish Premiership, Championship, League One and League Two matches from season 2016-17.
"Everyone at the SPFL is delighted that our long-standing partnership with BBC Scotland has been extended by another four years," said Doncaster.
"During the process of negotiating with the BBC, the SPFL board has been very robust and clear in its view of what we believe Scottish football coverage is worth and we are pleased that this has been taken on board and reflected by an improved agreement.
"As part of that, we're also delighted that supporters will see enhanced match coverage, which we'll provide to the BBC as part of the new contract.
"We look forward to working with BBC Scotland's excellent team of sports producers and journalists in the four years ahead, covering our national sport and bringing the very best of the SPFL action to TV and radio audiences."
'This will benefit Scottish football as a whole'
BBC Scotland head of sport Ewan Angus was also "extremely pleased" to extend the partnership.
"BBC Scotland's main aim was to provide supporters with improved coverage while also ensuring we get value for money for everyone who pays the licence fee," he said.
"We firmly believe this new deal will benefit Scottish football as a whole by enhancing Sportscene's match highlights through increased camera provision and also allowing us to offer footage for fans on social media."
The new BBC contract was approved by Scottish Premiership clubs and the SPFL board.
The announcements follows news earlier this season that Sky Sports and BT Sport will continue to broadcast live Scottish Premiership matches until the end of the 2019-20 season.