The Scottish Professional Football League has invited broadcasters to bid for UK rights to Scottish Premiership matches starting in the 2029-30 season. The current five-year, £150m agreement with Sky Sports, which began last term, will conclude after the 2028-29 campaign. The SPFL has issued a formal Invitation To Tender (ITT) to potential domestic broadcast partners.

Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the SPFL, stressed the importance of these deals for the league's financial health. "Securing strong broadcast partnerships is an essential element in maintaining a balanced and sustainable income mix for the SPFL and its clubs," he said. The league is flexible about the number of games shown live in future, while Premier Sports retains rights to show up to 22 Scottish top-flight fixtures per season. A separate contract with Premier Sports for the Scottish League Cup runs until at least the end of the 2030-31 season.

covering live television streaming and near-live rights.

Celtic extend lead with big win

The announcement comes after a weekend where Celtic emphatically demonstrated the league's on-pitch appeal. They beat Hearts 7-1 at Parkhead, extending their lead over Rangers to four points. Kieran Tierney opened the scoring, with Benjamin Nygren netting twice, including one from a Mika Baur corner. Callum Osmand scored two first-half goals, while Camilo Durán and a Jamie McCart own goal completed the rout. Hearts, who arrived as the division's top scorers, managed only one goal through Laurent Mendy.

Mixed results elsewhere

Rangers could only draw 2-2 with Dundee at Dens Park. Bradley Fink put Dundee ahead before Badredine Bouanani equalised three minutes later. Nico Raskin restored Rangers' lead after the break, but Callum Jones levelled for Dundee in the 68th minute. Kilmarnock ended Motherwell's five-match winning streak with a 3-2 victory, Greg Kiltie scoring twice. Alfred Johansson, Motherwell's manager, criticised his team's defending after the match. Elsewhere, Falkirk won 2-1 against Hibernian and Aberdeen beat St Mirren 3-1 to move up to seventh. Dundee United and St Johnstone played out a 1-1 draw, leaving both sides tied on 12 points in the top half of the table.

The SPFL expects strong interest from broadcasters for the new rights package, which will shape the league's financial landscape for the latter part of this decade. The tender process is expected to conclude well before the start of the 2029-30 season.

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