October 9 – The SPFL is within £400,000 of a distribution target it originally expected to reach in 2029, after another record year pushed payments to Scottish clubs up to £49.6 million.

Announced by the league on Thursday, group distributions rose 18% to £7.6 million during 2025-26, while the total income reached £58 million. Fees paid directly to clubs increased by 17% to £41.2 million.

The £50 million target was set after a Deloitte strategic review in 2021, when the league was looking for ways to grow the commercial value of Scottish football in the wake of the pandemic, which had left the football industry facing financial insecurity.

At the time, annual league fees to clubs stood at £28.4 million. They have since risen by almost three quarters.

Much of that increase has come through the broadcast revenue funnel. Sky Sports are the holders of Premiership rights through to 2029, while Premier Sports has steadily expanded its domestic position and last year extended its League Cup broadcast and title sponsorship agreement through to 2031.

William Hill has the league’s title rights, while licensing, data and other commercial deals have added to the total. HALO also joined last season as the SPFL’s first official technology partner.

Crucially, the extra television money has not come at the cost of crowds.

The 2025-26 Premiership became the first SPFL top-flight season to pass four million spectators, with overall league attendances again reaching record levels. Scotland has also led UEFA’s European leagues for attendance per head of population in each of the last three published seasons.

SPFL group chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “In an increasingly competitive international rights market, these results are testament to the enduring attraction of the SPFL.

“These are by far the strongest financial results in the SPFL’s history, with turnover and total group distributions both surpassing the records set last year, and we are determined to maintain that momentum.

“Thanks to a great deal of hard work by clubs and individuals right across the SPFL, we’ve made substantial progress towards our £50 million strategic target for club distributions.

“Crucially, as well as record-breaking commercial income, our member clubs have also welcomed the highest yearly attendances in the SPFL era, following one of the most exciting seasons Scottish football has ever experienced. That drama and energy has been reflected in the level of interest we’ve seen from our broadcast and commercial partners, in a season that saw a record-breaking number of games broadcast live.”

Chairman Murdoch MacLennan now expects the £50 million mark to be passed this season, two years ahead of schedule.

That would continue a rapid rise from £37.9 million in group distributions in 2023-24 and £42 million last season.

Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]