BBC Scotland extends Scottish Cup broadcast deal for five years

BBC Scotland will continue to broadcast live matches and highlights from the Scottish Cup for another five years.

The new deal extends the BBC’s arrangement of showing a game from each round – up to and including the final – on a free-to-air platform.

The contract also allows the broadcaster to produce “near live digital highlights”.

The Scottish Youth Cup final will also be shown live for the next five years.

The 2024 Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Rangers had a peak live audience of 735,000, with Adam Idah’s late goal giving holders Celtic a 1-0 win.

“Our live and highlights coverage of the Scottish Cup is a highly valued part of BBC Scotland’s sports content for audiences,” said BBC Scotland head of commissioning Louise Thornton.

“Each season the tournament produces thrilling stories and we’re delighted that this agreement allows us to continue broadcasting the best of the action, including the showpiece final.

“Extending the agreement is a great result for our audiences who’ll be able to enjoy Sportscene’s brilliant coverage of the competition for another five years.”

And Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell added: “In an era of multiple subscription platforms across football and life in general, we’re pleased to be able to offer consistency with established partners who take pride in their involvement in our showpiece competition.

“It represents stable income for our member clubs and the wider Scottish game that allows the various stakeholders to plan ahead with an added degree of certainty.”

Premier Sports also has live rights for the Scottish Cup while BBC Radio Scotland has radio rights for the competition.