Featuring 228 games as well as the play-offs to determine relegation, the Scottish Premiership fixtures list is stacked each season. The phase system of splitting the league in half for the last five games to up the intensity of those final games adds further drama to the chase for European places and the battle against relegation.
However, while there are two UK broadcasters of live games for the Scottish Premiership, relatively few are shown live on TV. Naturally, this limits the reach of the league and its efforts to increase viewership. Competition in the UK is stiff, but there are ways to potentially increase viewership and get to those new audiences.
Scottish Premiership Live on TV Gets More Games
As it stands, the Scottish Premiership is shown live at different stages of the season across two UK broadcasters. Sky Sports is the primary carrier. In June 2024, the premium TV service recorded, and the SPFL relayed, a 24 per cent year-on-year rise in peak audiences and a total audience of 12.5 million viewers – up from 10.03 million.
Those viewers were split across the channel’s 60 live Premiership matches shown each season. The secondary carrier of the league is Premier Sports. Another paid TV service, Premier Sports shows 20 live games and recently added two live matches from the bottom-six half of the post-split matches.
This showing of games after the split is a recent addition. It took both broadcasters and the SPFL coming together to appease fan pressure that bemoaned the lack of bottom-six coverage. As the BBC reports, the agreed changes now allow fans to enjoy the excitement of the relegation battle during the 2025/26 season.
Expanding Access to Reach More Fans
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Only 82 of the 228 Scottish Premiership games each season are shown live by broadcasters. To increase the profile, accessibility, and draw of the league, the SPFL and its broadcast partners should consider expanding this number significantly. Of course, there are only so many TV spots, but nowadays, live streaming is normalised.
People across the UK turn to live streams for all manner of entertainment now – often over traditional TV options. Live streaming sports has been going on for decades, but the tech has evolved tremendously to become even more immersive and interactive. Nowhere is this better showcased than among the live casino games available.
At hit online gaming platforms like PlayFrank, live casino games have become a huge draw. They let players tune in for real physical casino games and table games live. Some additional tech paired with the HD cameras enables real-time play in games like Live Lightning Roulette, Deal or No Deal, and Monopoly Live.
Here, live streaming has been adopted en masse, just as it has for many online video platforms and services. Tapping into this now mainstream use of the tech should be explored by Scottish Premiership broadcast partners. It’s incredibly accessible and normalised, which would add the draw of convenience to live-streamed games.
Much like with the English leagues, governing bodies worry about attendance in the face of easy viewing. Not only has the English Championship been able to benefit from a huge new live broadcast deal, but the Scottish Premiership is the most attended league per capita in Europe, followed by the Portuguese, Dutch, and English.
For maximum exposure and accessibility with an eye on growing the league, the Scottish Premiership and its broadcast partners should seek to leverage the infinite space of live streaming and show many more games online.