Scottish football will enjoy one of its biggest ever live TV audiences when Sunday’s Celtic v Rangers semi-final of the Scottish League Cup, presented by QTS, is beamed to 54 countries worldwide..
The hotly-anticipated clash is being covered live domestically on BBC One Scotland, BBC Radio Scotland and the BBC Sport website UK-wide, not to mention BBC Radio 5Live providing live UK-wide commentary from Glasgow.
In addition, outwith the UK Sunday’s cup tie has the potential to reach a further 129m homes in all corners of the planet, including the USA, Australia, Italy, Qatar and Hong Kong.
Interest in the game, the second semi-final following Dundee United v Aberdeen on Saturday, has been huge and, as well as a 50,000+ capacity crowd at Hampden Park, tens of millions are now set to watch the game on TV screens across five continents.
Neil Doncaster, SPFL chief executive, said: “We are all looking forward to two cracking semi-finals this weekend, starting with Dundee United v Aberdeen, which will command the biggest attendance for the fixture in nearly six decades, before Celtic v Rangers on Sunday.
“The interest in the Glasgow derby in particular has been extraordinary and this is reflected in the huge number of territories which will enjoy live coverage of the game, thanks to the SPFL’s partnership with international broadcast rights partner, MP & Silva.
“Many of these countries and regions show highlights of Scottish football throughout the season and this is another chance for us to continue to sell the game and increase interest throughout the world. It will also provide fantastic global exposure for QTS, presenting partners for the Scottish League Cup, who we thank for their support.”
The second semi-final of the Scottish League Cup, presented by QTS between Celtic and Rangers, which kicks off at Scotland’s National Stadium – Hampden Park – at 1.30pm on Sunday, will be shown live on free-to-air television in Norway, Sweden and Moldova. Across Europe, live broadcasts will also be available in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Israel, Turkey and the Balkan states as well as across parts of Eurasia.
While many of these nations provide SPFL football highlights on a regular basis, it will be a first screening for the Scottish game this season in Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.
The bulk of the potential 129m homes-reach come from the USA, where Fox Sports USA is broadcasting the game live, while Rogers Sportsnet is providing the same service in Canada.
Demand for the game is also high in the Asia-Pacific region with Setanta Sports providing live coverage in Australia and beIN Sports broadcasting in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. beIN Sports will also make the game widely accessible across the Middle East and Africa.
News access deals have been agreed with broadcasters ZDF and ARD in Germany and Canal+ in France while a separate news access deal has been struck that will see clips distributed to news channels and programmes around the world.
Alan McLeish, managing director of QTS said: “Our financial commitment to sport in the UK includes relationships with Commonwealth boxer Charlie Flynn, Glasgow Warriors, Kilmarnock FC, Derby County FC and Ayr Racecourse as well as leading young sportspeople in rallying, snowboarding, tennis and cycling and while our relationship with the SPFL through the Scottish League Cup could be described as a ‘toe in the water’ in tournament sponsorship, the reaction to our involvement has been remarkable.
“I’m keen to associate the QTS brand with the best in everything we do and that is certainly the case with the two semi-finals this weekend. Dundee United and Aberdeen are brilliantly matched and the Celtic v Rangers game talks for itself.
“The media interest for both matches at home and abroad has been phenomenal and the return in our investment in terms of company profile and brand awareness means we are already considering a longer-term investment in the tournament.”
.png){kind=logo}
