Viaplay trigger SPFL broadcaster chaos fears as company 'consider' pulling plug in potential financial hammer blow

Scottish football is facing a major broadcasting blow after Viaplay stated they are reviewing their services - with reports suggesting a major roll back of their UK sport coverage.

The announcement comes less than a year after the Scandinavian broadcaster took over the rights to show the League Cup from Premier Sports. The company bought the Irish broadcaster in July 2022 and rebranded to Viaplay Sports in the UK back in November which sparked a mid-season name change in the competition. They also hold exclusive rights to Scotland games in the Nations League as well as Euro 2024, World Cup 2026 and Euro 2028 qualifying and any friendlies during that period.

But they now looks set to roll back sections of their coverage after snapping up new areas to cover has failed to deliver the new subscriber base they had hoped for, with details of the overhaul set to be announced on Thursday, July 20. . This week it’s told investors it’s had to withdraw the previously published outlook for 2023 with much weaker revenue and earnings expected.

Ahead of the announcement there will be major concerns inside the SPFL and the SFA with Viaplay having the rights to the League Cup and the Scottish Cup. An RXTV report suggest Viaplay have made losses of £24.1million since upscaling their UK services and are considering focussing on Nordic markets while scaling back.

At the time of the change in cup name and broadcaster, SPFL chief Neil Doncaster was delighted with the overhaul. He said: “Everyone at the SPFL is thrilled to be working with our new title cup sponsor Viaplay.

"This cup has been a success for many years and Viaplay’s coverage and support of this competition until at least 2026/27 is very welcome indeed. We are looking forward