BBC Scotland secures rights for live television coverage of international friendlies

Audiences will be able to enjoy full live coverage of both games on the BBC Scotland channel and on BBC Three for the rest of the UK…

BBC Scotland has secured the rights to show the national team’s friendlies against Northern Ireland in March and Finland in June following a deal with rights holder Viaplay. The two home matches will be seen as key to the preparations for the Euros which begins on 14 June when Scotland face host nation, Germany.

Audiences will be able to enjoy full live coverage of both games on the BBC Scotland channel and on BBC Three for the rest of the UK. The match against Northern Ireland kicks off at 7.45 pm on Tuesday, 26 March, at Hampden and will also air live on BBC Two Northern Ireland.

The game against Finland on June 7, which also kicks off at 7.45 pm, will be Scotland’s final warm-up match before they board the flight to Germany.

Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning, BBC Scotland:

‘Excitement is building for the tournament and we’re delighted we can bring the fans live coverage of two games that will be significant in the build-up to the campaign in Germany. ‘These internationals are a welcome addition to our portfolio of live football this season. In the men’s game we have Scottish Cup matches, including the final, and regular Championship games on the BBC Scotland channel. And in the women’s game we had coverage of the Nations League and we continue to bring our audiences live League and Cup matches.’

These two home games will also be available on Viaplay and Viaplay will broadcast Scotland’s away games exclusively live versus Netherlands this month and Gibraltar in June.

Securing live coverage of the men’s national team’s games at Hampden in a highly competitive tv rights market is a major boost for BBC audiences in Scotland.

Richard Sweeney, managing director of Viaplay Sports UK:

‘Ahead of a huge Summer for the Scotland national team, we are thrilled to make these key friendlies available to the widest possible audience, thanks to our agreement with the BBC.’