Scotland matches must be free to view as Viaplay withdrawal sparks fresh appeal

Calls have been renewed for Scotland matches to be moved to free-to-air television after Viaplay announced plans to wind down its Scottish football coverage as part of a raft of cost-cutting measures.

The Scandanivian broadcaster revealed it will make 25 per cent of its staff redundant and withdraw from the UK, USA and Canadian markets after running into financial difficulty due to lower than expected subscription numbers and falling advertising revenue.

Viaplay currently sponsor the Scottish League Cup, holds exclusive rights to screen and stream all matches involving the Scotland men’s national team up until 2028, and also has a deal to show some Scottish Cup matches until next year.

Hampden bosses are yet to comment on the Viaplay announcement, although it is understood that all payments to the Scottish Professional Football League are up to date, and that the SPFL anticipates that League Cup matches will continue to be shown as planned this season. Viaplay has confirmed that Saturday's tie between Motherwell and Queen's Park will be on live as scheduled.

Scotland's Scott McTominay celebrates after scoring in the 2-0 win over Georgia last month - a match that was broadcast by Viaplay. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The Scottish Football Association has no direct involvement with Viaplay as broadcast rights to international matches are sold centrally by UEFA, who provide guaranteed income under their centralisation model. Uefa has said it "is aware of the announcement" and "is in contact with the relevant stakeholders" but has no further comment. The deal to show Scottish Cup matches was also brokered by a third party, global sports firm IMG, who pay the SFA a minimum guarantee.

The current deal with Viaplay meant Scotland’s best ever start to a qualifying campaign – with four successive wins over Cyprus, Spain, Norway and Georgia taking them to the top of Group A in the bid to reach Euro 2024 – was kept behind a paywall and only available to subscribers.

With Viaplay now set to step away, politicians have renewed calls for Scotland internationals to be switched to a similar TV deal that allows fans of both England and Wales to watch their country’s matches free-to-air on Channel 4 and S4C respectively.

The SNP’s Pete Wishart MP said: “This is really significant news and offers a number of opportunities for the free broadcasting of our men’s national team.

“The Scottish Affairs Committee met with Viaplay just two weeks ago. There was no indication there were any issues and they were even boasting about viewing figures from the Georgia and Norway matches. How it’s gone from this to abruptly pulling out I really don’t know.

“Broadcasters can get this resolved and ensure that it is properly resourced. We should all get together to do justice and a proper service to Scottish football. We need early clarification from Viacom about when they plan to stop airing coverage.

“Fortunately we have plenty of time with the next round of fixtures not until September but we need to know what their intentions are. Scotland fans have long felt a sense of unfairness that English and Welsh fans can watch their matches free and we cannot.”

Scotland are next in action in September with Viaplay due to broadcast the Euro 2024 qualifier in Cyprus as well as the international challenge match against England at Hampden marking the 150th anniversary of the fixture.

Scottish Labour MP Ian Murray added: “Now, more than ever, we need the BBC, STV and other channels to work together to show Scotland national team matches free on television. For too long, Scots have either been unable to watch the national team or have been forced to pay to do so. It’s such an exciting time for our national football team, with Scotland on the verge of Euro 2024 qualification. The whole country should have the chance to cheer on Steve Clarke and the team free of charge.”

Viaplay's decision to pull out of the UK will also affect rugby. The broadcaster screens every match live in the United Rugby Championship, the league which features Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors, Scotland's two professional club sides. The new season is scheduled to start on October 21. No-one from the URC was prepared to comment on Thursday. Viaplay began broadcasting the URC last season when it bought Premier Sports, the previous rights holder.