UK public-service broadcaster, the BBC, has recently entered into a new sublicensing agreement with over-the-top (OTT) service DAZN. This deal pertains to Italy's top-flight football league, Serie A, and covers the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
The agreement will enable BBC to broadcast eight live fixtures through its Scots Gaelic-language network, BBC Alba, as well as on its iPlayer service. The coverage will be provided with Gaelic-language commentary while DAZN retains the right to air broadcasts of these games in English.
This deal is particularly significant due to seven Scottish players currently competing in Serie A - an all-time high. These include Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay who play for defending champions Napoli. Other Scots playing in this division are Lewis Ferguson (Bologna), Che Adams (Torino), Lennon Miller (Udinese), Josh Doig (Sassuolo), and Kieron Bowie from Hellas Verona.
Boosting interest ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026
The partnership kicked off on February 15th with Ferguson’s Bologna securing a 2-1 victory over Adams’ Torino. The seven players involved have earned a combined total of 164 caps for the Scottish national team. With Scotland qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in 2026 - their first appearance since 1998 - it is likely that interest in these players' performances will surge ahead of this major event.
DAZN’s UK rights deal for Serie A began earlier this season covering all ten matches per game week; eight exclusively aired by them while two others are shown by TNT Sports, another rightsholder for Serie A games within the country.
Expansion of BBC's portfolio
This sublicensing agreement is the latest addition to BBC's growing portfolio of soccer rights, which has seen significant expansion since Alex Kay-Jelski took over as head of sport in 2024. In November 2025, the BBC secured rights to show highlights from Spain's top-tier LaLiga until 2027. Earlier that same week, they also retained their highlights rights package for the top-tier UEFA Champions League pan-European competition for the 2027-31 cycle.
Furthermore, a month prior to this, BBC secured rights to broadcast Friday night matches from Germany’s top-tier Bundesliga through 2027 and agreed on a five-year deal to air live matches from UEFA’s Women’s Champions League starting from the 2025-26 season.
This strategic move by BBC not only caters to sports fans but also provides an exciting opportunity for sports betting enthusiasts who are keen on following these leagues and players closely.
