Live coverage of Scotland’s two professional rugby teams – Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby – will be available throughout the 2010/11 season, and for the next four years, on BBC ALBA. The deal, announced today at Murrayfield – the home of Scottish Rugby – sees BBC ALBA enter into a partnership with Celtic Rugby Ltd to allow the channel to show at least eight live Glasgow or Edinburgh home matches per season. They have also teamed up with Irish and Welsh public service broadcasters to provide live coverage of selected away matches for both sides. Live coverage of Scotland’s two professional rugby teams – Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby – will be available throughout the 2010/11 season, and for the next four years, on BBC ALBA. The deal, announced today at Murrayfield – the home of Scottish Rugby – sees BBC ALBA enter into a partnership with Celtic Rugby Ltd to allow the channel to show at least eight live Glasgow or Edinburgh home matches per season. They have also teamed up with Irish and Welsh public service broadcasters to provide live coverage of selected away matches for both sides. This allows BBC ALBA to give unparalleled access to the country’s professional sides, with one or occasionally two fixtures being shown on match weekends as Scottish teams visit Ireland, Wales and Italy throughout the campaign. Commenting on today’s news, Glasgow Warriors Chief Executive, Kenny Baillie, said: I’m delighted that BBC ALBA has chosen to support Scotland’s professional rugby teams in the Magners League. Being able to watch live rugby coverage throughout the season is a real boost to our supporters and should help grow the support on and off the field for both Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby. Edinburgh Head Coach, Rob Moffat, added: The Magners League is getting bigger and bigger every year so it’s great news that the professional game in Scotland will now receive broadcast coverage from BBC ALBA. Obviously the best place to experience live rugby is at the host venue, but for those who can’t make it along to either Murrayfield, Firhill or our away games, this is a fantastic development. Home fixtures will feature with commentary in Gaelic alongside trackside analysis and interviews in English. Dominic McKay Scottish Rugby’s, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, added: We are delighted that both Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors will receive significantly increased broadcast coverage for the seasons ahead. Securing regular live coverage of Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh matches has been a focus for Scottish Rugby in recent seasons and we welcome today’s announcement by BBC ALBA. Both Glasgow and Edinburgh enjoyed a successful season last year and it’s great news for rugby and sports fans in Scotland that they will now have access to regular live coverage of both professional teams. We look forward to working closely with BBC ALBA in the seasons ahead. Alan Esslemont, Head of Content for BBC ALBA, said: I am delighted that BBC ALBA has been able to secure live Magners League rugby in Scotland for the next four years. I believe the deal will be extremely fruitful for all concerned – fans, viewers, Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors, rugby in Scotland and also for the channel. Last season, our Scottish professional teams reached new levels of success in the Magners League and now they have the TV coverage they deserve as we are about to embark on the new season ahead. We recently followed Glasgow Warriors to their semi-final play-off against the Ospreys in Wales and although the result wasn’t the one we were all hoping for, the match was a highly successful one for the channel and was greatly enjoyed by our viewers. With full season coverage now on BBC ALBA, the rugby will undoubtedly draw new viewers to the channel and we hope they will enjoy what we have to offer as we continue to demonstrate our commitment to both grassroots and professional Scottish sport. BBC ALBA is currently available on Digital Satellite, on Sky 168, Freesat 110 and live on BBC iPlayer. Ten hours of content per week is also available to view on demand via the BBC PC iPlayer and the BBC iPlayer on Cable. For further information see www.bbcalba.co.uk. HOW TO WATCH MAGNERS LEAGUE GAMES NEXT SEASON BBC ALBA Available UK-wide on Sky channel 168 and Freesat 110. It is available streamed and on 7-day catch-up on iPlayer. BBC ONE Northern Ireland Virgin channel 863, Sky 973 BBC TWO Northern Ireland Sky channel 992 Freeview BBC1 NI & BBC2 NI only available in Northern Ireland BBC TWO Wales In Wales on Freeview channel 2, digital satellite (Sky and Freesat) 102, and Virgin 102. Outside Wales via digital satellite on channel 991. RTE Only available in the island of Ireland S4C In Wales on Sky channel 104, Freeview 4, Virgin 167, Freesat 104 In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. on Sky 134 and Freesat 120 TG4 Only available in the island of Ireland