BBC Scotland secures new five-year deal for Scottish Cup coverage

BBC Scotland has confirmed it has secured a new deal with the Scottish FA to continue its Men's Scottish Cup coverage for another five years.

The deal will ensure that live coverage from all stages of the competition including the final and one semi-final remains free to air.

For the first time, BBC Scotland will also have in-game and near live digital highlights as part of the contract. In addition, the broadcaster will continue live screening of the Scottish FA Youth Cup Final for the duration of the agreement.

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Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning, BBC Scotland, said: "Our live and highlights coverage of the Scottish Cup is a highly valued part of BBC Scotland’s sports content for audiences.

"Each season the tournament produces thrilling stories and we’re delighted that this agreement with allows us to continue broadcasting the best of the action, including the showpiece final.

"Extending the agreement is a great result for our audiences who’ll be able to enjoy Sportscene’s brilliant coverage of the competition for another five years."

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The Scottish FA’s Chief Executive, Ian Maxwell, added: "This new agreement underlines Premier Sports’ and BBC Scotland’s commitment to Scottish football and, particularly in this case, the Scottish Gas Men’s Scottish Cup.

"In an era of multiple subscription platforms across football and life in general, we’re pleased to be able to offer consistency with established partners who take pride in their involvement in our showpiece competition.

"It represents stable income for our member clubs and the wider Scottish game that allows the various stakeholders to plan ahead with an added degree of certainty.

"We all have our cherished Scottish Cup memories. We’re looking forward to seeing new ones created and showcased alongside our partners at Premier Sports and BBC Scotland."

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Coverage of the Scottish Cup is a significant part of BBC Scotland’s live sport offering. Audience figures show that the live audience for last month’s Celtic v Rangers Cup Final on BBC One Scotland peaked at 735,000; a 65% share of the total television audience watching at that time.

The broadcaster’s sports rights portfolio also includes coverage of the Scottish Women’s Cup, Scotland Women’s international matches, and the Scottish Women’s Premier League.

And BBC ALBA’s sports programming includes regular live games from the Scottish Women’s Premier League and from the Scottish Women’s Cup.