FOX today announced that its FOX Soccer Plus network has won the US and Caribbean TV rights to the Scottish Premier League through 2013-14.
The agreement with SPORTFIVE International secures the SPL TV rights for the remainder of the 2011-12 season through the end of the 2013-14 campaign. The first Scottish Premier League game on FOX Soccer Plus will be Saturday, March 17 between Dundee United and Rangers (8:40am ET). But the one that everyone will be looking out for is the Old Firm Derby between Celtic and Rangers, which will be shown on FOX Soccer on Sunday, March 25 at 8am ET.
“We are proud to welcome the Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League into our family of networks,” said Dermot McQuarrie, Senior Vice President of Production and Assistant General Manager of FOX Soccer. “The SPL is a top competition, featuring some of the most historic clubs in European football, including both Celtic and Rangers.”
FOX Soccer Plus plans to carry up to two SPL matches per week throughout the season, along with weekly half-hour highlight shows to recap each round of play. Schedule permitting, all Old Firm clashes are airing on FOX Soccer.
How will this impact FOX Soccer and FOX Soccer Plus’s coverage of the Premier League? Depending on TV schedules, the biggest impact will be on Sunday mornings for soccer fans who typically watch the early Premier League kick-off (8am or 8:30am). Some of those Premier League matches may not be shown live on FOX Soccer Plus, but would be shown live on FOX Soccer 2Go instead. However, I don’t foresee the coverage of the Scottish Premier League having much impact on Saturday games. FOX’s Premier League game coverage begins at 10am ET on Saturdays.
