Exclusive:BBC seal 'no-brainer' deal to show 38 live matches from Serie A as first game revealed

Serie A games will be shown live by BBC Scotland again after the corporation sealed a deal to televise 38 matches during the coming campaign, which kicks off this weekend.

The agreement permits coverage of one match per round for the whole league season shared equally between BBC Scotland and BBC Alba, the channel which covered eight Italian league matches last season.

All the live games will be on iPlayer with BBC Alba continuing coverage in a mix of Gaelic and English. Rights are shared with TNT Sports and DAZN. A BBC Scotland source hailed the deal as a “no-brainer”.

The likes of Napoli's Scott McTominay will be live on BBC Scotland. | SNS Group

Scots will continue to feature extensively. Kieron Bowie has returned to the Italian top flight on loan at Sassuolo from Hellas Verona, who were relegated last term. Former Hibs full back Josh Doig is now a teammate. Sassuolo’s clash at Atalanta will be the first match broadcast this Sunday at 7:45 pm BST.

Scott McTominay at Napoli will remain a principal focus. The midfielder helped drive his side to the Scudetto in 2024/25. Although Napoli were dethroned last season by Inter Milan, the Scot enjoyed another productive season with 14 goals – one more than the previous historic campaign - in all competitions.

Teammate Billy Gilmour is returning from the knee injury that cost him a place at this summer’s World Cup and hopes to impress new manager Massimiliano Allegri. Napoli kick off against Genoa on Saturday night.

Scotland international teammates Che Adams and Lennon Miller remain at Torino and Udinese respectively while Lewis Ferguson, although the subject of much transfer speculation, is expected to line up for Bologna against Lazio on Monday night.

All are hoping to feature in new Scotland manager Sebastien Pocognoli's first squad next month. The Belgian might be among those tuning in, along with England manager Thomas Tuchel. England internationals playing in Serie A include Djed Spence and John Stones, both of whom joined champions Inter this summer.

England's representation in Serie A is now into double figures, with Harry Winks, who joined Cagliari from Leicester City, another summer recruit.

“BBC Scotland will run production but it is a network BBC offering,” a BBC Scotland source told The Scotsman.

“Last season was the perfect opportunity to showcase the Scots in Italy, with the World Cup in the summer and interest at an all-time high. We had some fun with the titles, with a nostalgic reference to Channel 4’s much loved coverage, and the guest appearance of James Richardson for Napoli v Bologna. The audience feedback was fantastic.

“The opportunity to continue and expand our coverage across BBC iPlayer for the coming season was a no-brainer. We are bringing live European football to a free-to-air audience. Arguably Serie A remains the most glamorous league in the world, and with even more British players this season. We hope the coverage goes down well.”