ITV, the UK's free-to-air (FTA) commercial broadcaster, has secured eleventh-hour short-term rights to a series of national team soccer fixtures featuring Scotland and Northern Ireland. The rights were obtained through a last-minute deal with Viaplay, the embattled broadcaster that was forced to withdraw from the UK market earlier this year.
The FTA network will cover four games in total – two Scotland fixtures and two involving Northern Ireland – from the 2024-25 edition of the UEFA Nations League pan-European competition. The rights acquisition comes as a result of an unexpected deal with Viaplay which had initially acquired rights to Nations League games across the UK (excluding England fixtures), in April 2022.
Viaplay's withdrawal from several non-core expansion markets due to severe financial difficulties in 2023 led them to sell on their sports rights. These markets include not only the UK but also US, Baltic countries and others outside its key Nordic territories.
Upcoming fixtures on ITV
ITV is set to cover Scotland vs Poland and Portugal vs Scotland matches along with Northern Ireland’s fixtures against Luxembourg and Bulgaria. These games will be broadcast live by ITV3 (Scotland) and ITV4 (Northern Ireland) second-tier linear channels, as well as on their streaming service - ITVX.
This news comes as a relief for fans who would have been unable to watch these games without this deal. Despite reports suggesting that BBC might step in for broadcasting Scotland's matches earlier this week, no such development has occurred yet.
Expanding coverage and future fixture
In addition to these newly acquired matches, ITV will continue its coverage of England’s Nations League fixtures through 2028 under an existing agreement unveiled last year. This includes qualifying games for major tournaments and friendlies too. The broadcaster's soccer portfolio also includes domestic action from England’s iconic FA Cup and highlights from the second-tier English Football League.
Following these September fixtures, the remaining four Nations League games for Scotland and Northern Ireland are split evenly across October and November. The allocation of these matches is yet to be decided. In terms of competition standings, Scotland is in League A, Group 1, while Northern Ireland is in League C, Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League.
This last-minute deal between ITV and Viaplay ensures that sports fans can continue to enjoy their favorite national team soccer fixtures without interruption. Despite Viaplay's financial difficulties leading to its withdrawal from several markets including the UK, ITV has stepped up to ensure uninterrupted coverage for sports fans.
