BLANK SCREEN
No broadcaster for Scots’ Nations League clashes
UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers from June 2022-2024 are ongoing, with an update expected in the near future.’
In another blow to supporters, UEFA have signed a contract to sell exclusive rights to all of Scotland’s internationals between 2024 and 2028 to little-known Nordic subscription platform Viaplay.
The Stockholm-based media company operate streaming services, TV channels, radio stations and production companies across Scandinavia, Poland and the USA — and news of a deal with them came as a bolt-from-the-blue to senior figures on Hampden’s sixth floor.
By handing over central negotiating rights to UEFA in return for a guaranteed cut of the proceeds, the SFA have effectively surrendered control over which broadcaster shows Scotland qualifiers for World Cup 2026, Euro 2028 and Nations League games from 2024-25.
Launched in the Netherlands last month, Viaplay now plans to expand into the UK, Canada, Germany, Austria and Switzerland by the end of 2023.
For fans already facing crippling monthly fees to watch live football on Sky Sports, BT and Premier Sports, the need to purchase yet another subscription service comes as bad news in the midst of an economic crisis.
The SFA and Viaplay have vowed to ease the burden on hard-pressed armchair supporters by showing some internationals free-to-air And, in a statement to Sportsmail last night, the Swedish-based broadcaster promised to do their best to keep the cost to fans down. They said: ‘Viaplay is one of the world’s leading sports broadcasters. Every year, we show hundreds of thousands of hours of live sports across multiple European markets, and the journalistic quality of our sports broadcasts is widely recognised. We will bring all our expertise to our football broadcasts in Scotland and across the UK, and ensure fans enjoy a world-class viewing experience. ‘Our offering will represent excellent value for subscribers. We are already the home of national team football in Sweden, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and we know how much national teams mean to supporters. Pricing and packaging are, of course, important factors here. ‘Over the next two years, we will have a close dialogue with all stakeholders in Scotland and, in particular, with fan groups to make sure we get everything right. We are committed to making these matches as widely available to Scottish supporters as possible.
‘Viaplay will be broadly available and easy to access. Some matches will be shown free-to-air and we will share more details as we move closer to our first broadcasts in 2024.’
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell defended the decision to sell central negotiating rights to UEFA, saying: ‘We are pleased that Viaplay recognise the value of the Scotland Men’s National Team and look forward to them broadcasting what will hopefully be yet more successful qualification campaigns for this current Scotland side.
‘The guaranteed income that we receive through UEFA’s centralised media-rights sales allows us to continue to grow the national game.
‘The finances help us to invest in a multitude of areas, including the grassroots game, girls’ and women’s football, coach education and parafootball, helping us harness the power of football to grow and develop the game.’