September '06 - "With the new season upon us and the Celtic League obtaining a title sponsor for the first time this year, I'm dismayed to find that yet again none of the terrestrial TV companies in Scotland, especially the BBC are showing any of the professional teams, either home or away. This despite the fact that BBC Wales are showing 11 games before the New Year involving Welsh teams games, 6 of which are against Scottish teams.

"I have written to not only to the SRU and The Celtic League but also BBC Scotland. David Jordan, Director for the Celtic League and Dee McIntosh, Marketing Director for the SRU both replied as detailed below. I am still waiting for replies from the TV companies.

"From David Jordan "Our broadcasting deals are more complex that you may think. Our deal with Setanta is not just for Scotland but the whole of the UK and ROI. Even our deals with BBC Wales & S4C are pan-UK deals. The key feature is that all our broadcasters share signals. Scotland & Northern Ireland do not get the same level of coverage as Wales & Ireland do where BBC Wales/S4C & Setanta is freely available and that is unfortunate but nonetheless is integral to our whole broadcasting strategy.

"One solution is the highlights route. We have a deal with BBC Northern Ireland for example. Up to now however neither BBC Scotland or STV have shown any appetite despite having approached them on several occasions. We will be doing so again this month although I am not sure if their attitudes have changed. It is our hope that Setanta becomes a much bigger player in the years ahead.

"For example we are now able to schedule TV matches to Friday nights as they are now a 7 day a week sports channel. Also as you probably know Setanta is available in pubs and clubs and we are trying to get then to promote Magners League matches in these types of establishments although their focus will always be on selling subscriptions. To conclude, it is our goal to increase TV coverage in Scotland without impacting too harshly on fixture scheduling. To achieve this requires others to be willing to support. At the moment Setanta is the only player at the table."

"From Dee McIntosh "The TV rights for the new Magners League is agreed with all 3 countries involved. I agree, with BBC Wales committed to showing many of the Welsh games, it’s disappointing that BBC Scotland do not show the same commitment. Myself and the Chief Executive of Scottish Rugby met with Ewan Angus, the Head of Sport for BBC Scotland, in January to discuss this. However they said they were only interested in covering international matches.

"It would be most helpful if you write to the Controller of BBC Scotland to make your point and perhaps this will help encourage them to change their mind for next year. I suspect this contrast of broadcasting priorities between BBC Wales and BBC Scotland reflects the fact that rugby is the number one sport in Wales, whereas football dominates life in Scotland and the Scottish TV schedules as a result.

"You will understand the need for us in Scotland to achieve greater popularity for professional rugby in Scotland. Unlike other countries in the northern hemisphere, professionalism in Scotland has had a rocky ride this past decade...I agree having the Magners League on terrestrial television would help us grow the game and the popularity of the pro game amongst the young. I understand the Setanta rights are exclusive for the period of the contract. However we asked BBC Scotland if they were interested in doing at least a weekly highlights package, which we hoped could have been negotiable, and sadly the BBC replied they were only interested in live football, no rugby highlights package and only live rugby internationals.

"Again, I would like to encourage you and other supporters to contact BBC Scotland to put your point of view. The SRU’s strong preference was to have BBC Scotland as part of the TV rights agreement for the Magners League and this continues to be our preference for future years. If we could achieve higher attendances at our pro team games, perhaps this may help sway BBC Scotland’s views."

"Rugby is a sport which embodies hope and pride in a nation as seen after the 6N, which I'm sure you will agree was a great success for the BBC. As a member of Glasgow Warriors supporters club, who attends every home game, we are committed to extending the appeal of the sport especially in terms of getting more kids involved both in terms of supporting but also playing.

"This needs the backing from all parts of the media to succeed and can't be done if the national broadcasters do not show any rugby from grassroots up to professional level.

"As has been outlined the deals that have been made are pan-UK deals and as such Scotland is being bypassed by both the terrestrial TV companies, particularly BBC Scotland. So Why are Scottish rugby fans being ignored when we pay our licence fees just like anyone else?

"Despite professional rugby have an ever increasing core of support it has struggled to get a foothold in Scotland, which I believe is due to the lack of national coverage. Every effort and resource must be utilised to help foster and market the sport.

"With Wales covered by both S4C and BBC Wales and Ireland better served by Setanta, I am sure there is a market which either BBC Scotland could tap into, especially when the Scottish teams are playing away from home. This would give greater exposure for the league and the Scottish teams that play in it and give the BBC 2 Scotland a better product to air on a Friday night than repeats of "Gardeners World".

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