Scottish Women’s Premier League secures BBC rights deal 

The BBC has announced a new rights deal with the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL).

The new and improved rights deal, which runs until the end of the 2024/25 season is the league’s biggest rights deal with the BBC since it started covering the women’s game in Scotland.

BBC ALBA will show a minimum of 26 live SWPL games on the Scottish Gaelic language TV channel each season – a rise of six matches from the 2021/22 season. BBC Scotland will also have the option of streaming one game live each weekend, while the broadcaster will carry an extended 45 minute highlight show per week which will run for at least 23 shows over the season.

Fiona McIntyre, managing director of the SWPL, said: “We’re really pleased to have agreed this new, record deal, which is great news for the League and supporters across the country. The ongoing partnership with both BBC ALBA and BBC Scotland will be vital in growing the game in this country in the coming years, and their long-term support of the women’s game is truly appreciated. 

“This significant new agreement represents the growth and ambition we have for the League.” 

Louise Thornton, Senior Head of Multi-Platform Commissioning, BBC Scotland, said: “We’re delighted that we’re increasing coverage of Scottish women’s football over the next three years. Adding more highlights and live streams will significantly enhance our offering to audiences at an exciting time for the game in Scotland. We’re looking forward to working in partnership with BBC ALBA to deliver more free-to-air coverage of the SWPL.”

While Scotland did not qualify for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 tournament, BBC Scotland will hope to benefit from the surge of popularity in women’s football that saw a record-breaking 280 million people watch the tournament across Europe this summer. The first weekend of the SWPL 2022/23 season attracted record crowds, with the over 2,000 fans turning out for fixtures on the opening day.