SPFL 2017/18: Sky & BT confirm opening live games

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Sky Sports and BT Sport have revealed their TV selections for the opening month of the 2017/18 Ladbrokes Premiership season, with six live games to be shown during August.

Both Old Firm clubs will be live on Sky Sports on the opening weekend of the Scottish Premiership season, with champions Celtic get the 2017/18 campaign underway at home to Hearts on Saturday, 5 August, before Rangers travel to Motherwell the following day.

The following weekend will see Celtic in action again on Sky Sports on 19 August as they travel to Kilmarnock, and August’s live matches are rounded off with newly-promoted Hibernian’s trip to Dundee on 27 August.

BT Sport’s first match of the new SPFL season will be on Friday, 11 August, with Partick Thistle at home against Celtic in a 7.45pm kick-off. 

Then on Sunday, 27 August, the BT Sport cameras will check in on Rangers, who are set to face Ross County at the Global Energy Stadium, and after the disappointment of their shock Europa League qualifying defeat to Luxemburger minnows Progres Niederkorn, the Gers will be desperate to make a quick start to the domestic campaign.

Celtic had a historic run to the title last time out, going unbeaten for the duration of the domestic season to claim their sixth successive title.

But with Derek McInnes staying put at Aberdeen despite the lure of offers south of the border, and with Rangers getting used to life back in the top flight, the season could be far tighter this time around.

Sky Sports and BT Sport will televise 60 SPFL matches between them throughout the season, with the majority from the Ladbrokes Premiership, although there will be selected matches from the Ladbrokes Championship.

As part of the current deal, Sky Sports will show up to 30 games this season from the Ladbrokes SPFL Premiership, including every Old Firm league derby exclusively live.

Scottish football fans will also be able to see action from the William Hill Scottish Cup and the national team’s final four 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier group matches exclusively live on Sky Sports.

Commenting on its opening selections, Sky Sports’ head of football Gary Hughes said:

“Celtic’s unbeaten season was an incredible feat and one which we followed through to the final weeks of the season. With a number of Scotland’s biggest clubs back in the top flight for the 2017/18 season, and the return of the Edinburgh derby, it should be another remarkable campaign in the SPFL.”

BT Sport will also cover 30 live Scottish Premiership matches during the season, including exclusive coverage of the Premiership play-offs at the end of the season, while BT also has the rights to show 13 Betfred Cup matches with coverage starting in July.

Free-to-air highlights will continue to be shown in Sportscene every Sunday on BBC Scotland, while BBC Alba, which recently secured a new deal with the SPFL for continued coverage of selected matches, have confirmed they will not be selecting any Ladbrokes Championship matches for broadcast in August.

SATURDAY 5th AUGUST

Celtic v Hearts
Ladbrokes Premiership

12:30

SUNDAY 6th AUGUST

Motherwell v Rangers
Ladbrokes Premiership

13:30

FRIDAY 11th AUGUST

Partick Thistle v Celtic
Ladbrokes Premiership

19:45

SATURDAY 19th AUGUST

Kilmarnock v Celtic
Ladbrokes Premiership

12:30

SUNDAY 27th AUGUST

Dundee v Hibernian
Ladbrokes Premiership

12:30

Ross County v Rangers
Ladbrokes Premiership

15:00

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