Undoubtedly one of the most fascinating and thrilling games of the Scottish Premiership season thus far is the one that Celtic and Aberdeen will play on Saturday.
With 21 points apiece at the top of the standings, both teams have won every domestic game they have played thus far. Celtic’s better goal differential has put them in first place.
The match will undoubtedly be shown live in many European leagues, but the kickoff at 3pm on Saturday will not be carried by Sky Sports, Premier Sports, or any other UK or Irish broadcaster.
A clause in the TV contract limits how many times Sky can visit a Premiership stadium annually, which is one of the reasons they decided not to broadcast the game.
Feeling that it would be preferable to maintain customary kick-off timings for fans, Celtic has chosen not to take part in Premier’s pick-up package, which consists of games offered for additional money.
As a pundit and analyst for Sky Sports, Chris Sutton is able to view both sides of the argument. He can see why Celtic wouldn’t want to witness the same thing that happened at Ibrox the previous week when a game was rescheduled for an odd Sunday time frame.
Chris Sutton on the Aberdeen vs. Celtic TV situation
In an interview with the Daily Record, the former Bhoys striker asked whether Celtic vs. Aberdeen should be broadcast live. Indeed. This matchup at the top of the table is the best of the season thus far. The broadcasters, meanwhile, are helpless.
“I can see why Celtic would want to protect their season ticket sales and not take the chance that fans won’t show up. We witnessed the empty seats at Ibrox during the Rangers’ recent Sunday night match against St Johnstone.
Given the significance of this game, I’m confident Celtic supporters would go whether the kickoff time was broadcast on television or not, but I can understand the debate. Although the broadcasters face some backlash for this, they are powerless to stop it. The cap on the number of games played at home is a true puzzle.
What would happen if Sky decided to air this race but then used up all of their allotted funds for Celtic Park when the race for the championship entered the home straight? Fans would raise an indignant scream. Really, you can’t win. Should the game be moved to a different time, many would complain about the scheduling.
“As far as I’m concerned, I would love to see the greatest games in Scotland on television, whether it be the Edinburgh or Dundee derbies, Rangers versus Hearts, or Celtic versus the Dons.
However, the clubs are the ones who stop this from occurring. They only permit a certain amount of games, and it is clear that Celtic would not accept the financial incentives to accept a few more.
TV deal for the Scottish Premiership still in the past
I see all of this as a symptom of larger problems. As 2025 draws near, the SPFL’s TV contract with Sky is becoming increasingly outdated, and it still has four years remaining on it.
The limitations include the inability of clubs to share highlights on social media before the TV channels themselves do, the restriction on stadium visits that seems to be in place to prevent Sky from picking only Celtic and Rangers games, and the Saturday 3 p.m. blackout timeslot, which is absurd in an era of international broadcasting and dubious online streaming services.
And that’s before you even factor in the deal’s financial value to clubs, which is constantly lagging behind other leagues.
Respect must be shown to Celtic for refusing to accept any more unsatisfactory kick-off timings, but it is unfortunate that in this particular instance the match versus the Dons could not be aired as a strong promotion for the Premiership.
It wouldn’t be a major problem if the SPFL had a more innovative and adaptable TV contract. However, as Sutton points out, that’s the right of risk-averse teams, who, rather than considering other possibilities, assess the possible effects on home attendance and bank cash years in advance.
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