Scottish Rugby in talks with STV to broadcast Edinburgh and Glasgow

SCOLAND ON SUNDAY REVEALS
Published Date: 23 August 2009
By Iain Morrison

PRO-TEAM rugby involving Edinburgh and Glasgow could be available on terrestrial television in Scotland when the new season kicks off next month.

Scotland on Sunday has learned that the Scottish Rugby Union is in talks with the Magners League and STV. One insider insisted that nothing has been signed as yet but the same official admitted that everyone involved is hopeful that Scottish rugby fans will be able to watch games on free-to-air television.

Since the demise earlier this summer of subscription station Setanta UK, armchair fans in this country have been faced with the prospect of scrabbling around Irish and Welsh satellite channels to watch Edinburgh and Glasgow in the Magners League, but all that looks likely to change.

Murrayfield recently appointed Sportfive to exploit its broadcast media rights although it is not known if the company has been instrumental in bringing STV to the table. The deal under discussion centres on a highlights package to be shown on a Sunday afternoon but, as part of the agreement, STV is understood to be keen to secure the live rights to the inter-city matches between Edinburgh and Glasgow. The games are the most popular on the Scottish pro teams calendar with the Murrayfield fixture attracting a record 12,534 fans on Boxing Day last year, albeit those numbers were boosted by a free ticket offer. The return match in Glasgow on 2 February drew 6,635 fans, with every one paying the full price.

If a deal can be struck with STV it would almost certainly require the Scottish pro teams to shift some of their matches away from the traditional Friday evening slot. STV is unlikely to want to show live rugby on Friday evening at prime time. Instead the inter-city 1872 Cup would take place on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Incidentally Premier One clubs already have one eye on Friday nights themselves with Hawks scheduling a match against West of Scotland on Friday 18 September under lights and others likely to follow their lead.

Scotland is the last piece of the jigsaw for the Magners League since the other two countries, Ireland and Wales, already have domestic broadcasters screening live matches and, if the rugby highlights prove popular, officials are hoping to extend the coverage to other live games.

It is a bold and welcome show of interest from STV but with the professional season just two weeks away there is a race against time to strike a deal.

This article was originally posted on 23-Aug-2009, 06:59 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 23-Aug-2009, 09:22.