Dundee and Dundee United will benefit from the SPFL’s bumper new television deal with Premier Sports.
SPFL director Neil Doncaster reveals the deal will see an “eight-figure sum” invested in Scottish football over the next five years As well as Sky’s offer to broadcast up to 60 games live matches each season, Premier Sports has now agreed to display an additional 20 matches per campaign.
Doncaster said: “This is great news for SPFL clubs and fans and means up to 80 Premiership matches will be shown live next season on Sky Sports and Premier Sports .
This will be the most live match the Scottish Premiership has ever broadcast.
“As Premier Sports already owns the rights to the Premier Sports Cup and Scottish Cup, they have cemented their position as the main broadcaster of live Scottish football.
“We are hugely grateful to Premier Sports for their increased investment in the sport, which will deliver an additional eight-figure sum to Scottish football over the next five years, meaning a payout New record for the club.”
On top of clubs getting bigger prize money, fans who are unable to attend key matches are more likely to be able to watch the games live on TV.
Sky Sports chose not to show the last two Dundee derbies live.
The most recent – a 2-2 draw at Tannadice in April 2022 – was a Saturday 3pm kick-off.
And the previous one on February 1 – a 0-0 draw at Dens Park – was only screened ‘as live’ on BBC Alba later that evening.
Sky Sports did show the first Dundee derby of the campaign, which saw Ian Harkes score the only goal of the game at Tannadice on September 19, 2021.
However, with more games to be shown live it is likely crunch matches like the Dundee and Edinburgh derbies that missed out on live TV coverage previously will now be broadcast.
After more than two years without a derby, fans of both Dundee and United could be able to watch next season’s derby action unfold live in the stadium, from the comfort of their own home or a local pub.
