Scottish football broadcast deal concern as major Viaplay losses spark withdrawal fears

Scottish football is facing uncertainty over the future of its broadcast deals with Viaplay amid claims the streaming company could withdraw some of its services due to financial pressures.

The Nordic station bought Premier Sports last year which resulted in the acquisition of broadcast rights to both the Scottish Cup and League Cup, with the latter competition rebranded to the Viaplay Cup. Viaplay also acquired rights from UEFA to show all Scotland internationals up to and including the conclusion of Euro 2028 qualifying with the recent wins over Norway and Georgia shown exclusively on the channel.

However, it has emerged that Viaplay are facing major financial challenges after posting a loss of $23million for the second quarter of 2023 due to subscription numbers falling below expectations as well as a detorioration in TV advertising revenue.

“The outlook for the markets in which we are operating has shifted considerably and at a very rapid pace, and the execution of cost savings programmes has not been mitigating the effects from these conditions to a sufficient extent,” said Pernille Erenbjerg, chair of the board.

The Viaplay Cup pictured at Hampden Park. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

According to RXTV, Viaplay are now considering sub-licencing or handing back some of their rights, including those in the UK, in a bid to scale back operations and focus on its core Nordic markets as the company looks to address the economic turmoil.

The potential impact on Scottish football coverage and the broadcast arrangements with the SPFL and SFA will become clearer this week with Viaplay set to present a review of its international operations and plans for cost-cutting measures on Thursday.