THE SFA today announced that satellite broadcaster Premier Sports will broadcast William Hill Scottish Cup games along with BBC Scotland from next season.

BBC Scotland and Premier Sports will each broadcast a selection of fixtures in the competition - in a move the SFA claim will see more Scottish Cup matches on free-to-air television than ever before.

BBC Scotland will also showcase one live match in the first, second and third rounds. Meanwhile, supporters will be able to watch four live games in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds.

Premier Sports will broadcast one semi-final exclusively while the other semi-final and the final will be shown across both channels.

SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “The William Hill Scottish Cup is a tournament that is steeped in history. In it, the clubs and players have created countless unforgettable memories and this deal will ensure that more action than ever before will be broadcast live to the nation.

“It will also drive significant revenue back to all the clubs who participate in the competition, ensuring ongoing investment into the game. We look forward to working with Premier Sports and the BBC to help us continue to tell the stories and cover the action of our top knockout competition.”

Premier Sports chief operating officer Richard Webb said: “We are delighted to be adding coverage of the Scottish Cup to our channel line-up. Over the last eight years we have established a positive relationship with Scottish football clubs and fans covering their teams European qualifiers.

"We are proud to be guardians of this historic cup competition and understand the significance, history and traditions the famous trophy demands. We look forward to bringing viewers quality coverage of the tournaments biggest games for the next six years.”

BBC Scotland head of multi-platform commissioning Steve Carson said: “We are delighted to be significantly enhancing our Scottish Cup coverage through this new deal which will see us bring more live matches from the tournament than ever before.

"We will cover two live matches from the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds and, from season 2019/20, we will follow the early rounds across the country for the first time.

"We think this is good news for audiences in Scotland given the huge appetite which exists for Scottish football, and it demonstrates our commitment to the game here.”

Elsewhere, the SFA today announced they have signed a six year broadcast deal with IMG to globally market broadcast rights for the William Hill Scottish Cup.

IMG Media senior vice-president Michael Mellor said: “The Scottish Cup is one of the oldest competitions in world football and this new agreement with our partners at the Scottish FA will take us through to the 150th anniversary of the first one played in 1873/74.

"We look forward to ensuring this prestigious tournament is viewed as widely as possible on broadcast platforms around the globe.”