The upcoming meeting between Celtic and Aberdeen is inarguably one of the most intriguing and exciting matches of the Scottish Premiership season so far.
Both teams have won all of their domestic matches in the build-up, and they sit with 21 points each at the top of the table. Celtic are ahead in first thanks to their superior goal difference.
In many leagues around Europe, the game would be guaranteed to be shown live on television, but next Saturday’s 3pm kick-off will not be broadcast on Sky Sports, Premier Sports, or any other broadcaster in the UK and Ireland.
Sky have chosen not to show the match, in part because they are limited to the number of times they can visit a Premiership stadium each year, a rule written into the TV contract.
Celtic have decided not to participate in Premier’s pick-up package of games sold for extra cash, feeling that they’d rather preserve traditional kick-off times for supporters.
Chris Sutton, who works as a pundit and commentator for Sky Sports, can see both sides of the debate. He understands why Celtic wouldn’t want a repeat of what he saw at Ibrox last week after a match was moved to an unusual Sunday timeslot.
Chris Sutton on Celtic vs Aberdeen TV situation
The former Bhoys striker said [Daily Record]: “Do I think Celtic vs Aberdeen should be screened live? Absolutely. It’s a top-of-the-table clash and the game of the season so far. But the broadcasters have their hands tied.
“I understand Celtic wanting to defend their season ticket sales and not wanting to risk punters not turning up. We saw what happened with the Rangers game against St Johnstone on the Sunday night recently, where there were empty seats all over Ibrox.
“I’m sure Celtic fans would turn up regardless of the kick-off time whether it was on television or not, given the nature of this game but I can see the argument. The broadcasters get a bit of a criticism for this stuff but their hands are tied. The restriction on the amount of home games is a real conundrum.
“What happens if Sky do show this one – but then have bust their allowance for Celtic Park when the title race gets into the home straight? There would be an outcry from fans. You can’t win really. If the game was shifted to another time, there would be moaning about the scheduling,
“As far as I am concerned, I would love to see the biggest games in Scotland on the box, whether it’s Celtic against the Dons, Rangers facing Hearts, the Edinburgh or Dundee derbies, you name it.
“But the clubs are the ones who prevent this happening. They only allow a certain number of games and the financial incentives to take on a couple more is obviously not lucrative enough for Celtic to accept.”
Scottish Premiership TV deal still stuck in the past
All of this, to me, is a symptom of wider issues. The TV deal that the SPFL have with Sky is pretty archaic as we approach 2025 – and it still has four years left beyond that.
There’s an inability for clubs to share highlights immediately on social media other than through the TV channels themselves, this stadium visit restriction that is apparently in place so Sky don’t just select every Celtic and Rangers game, and the 3pm Saturday blackout timeslot that doesn’t really make sense in the age of global broadcasting and dodgy internet streaming services.
That’s before you even consider the financial value of the deal itself to clubs, which is falling behind other leagues all the time.
You have to respect Celtic for not wanting to sign up for further poor kick-off times but it is a shame that, in this specific case, the game against the Dons couldn’t be shown as a good advert for the Premiership.
If the SPFL had a more progressive and flexible TV deal, then it wouldn’t be much of an issue. But as Sutton notes, that’s the prerogative of risk-averse clubs, who weigh up potential impacts on home attendance and bank cash years in advance rather than explore other options.
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