A new partnership between sports provider Premier Sports and streaming service STV Player will bring together all the heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat moments that unite live sports, TV drama and soaps - in one place.
The two have joined forces to offer viewers an exclusive and competitively priced package of top-flight sports plus ad-free high-quality drama box sets, true crime documentaries and entertainment juggernauts via STV’s streaming platform, STV Player.
For the price of a standalone Premier Sports package, viewers who sign up via STV Player will also become STV Player+ subscribers. They’ll be able to access three 24/7 live Premier Sports channels (Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports 2 and LALIGATV), plus thousands of hours of UK and international TV shows ad-free and downloadable.
The combined service makes this both a unique and compelling offering in the market.
Premier Sports is the holder of major Scottish football rights, including Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and Premier Sports Cup, as well as the Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, United Rugby Championship and TOP14.
It also has a growing plethora of sports across the UK and internationally, such as LALIGA, Coppa Italia, German Cup, NHL (National Hockey League), SHL (Swedish Hockey League) and NASCAR. All of this will be available to subscribers via STV Player, including Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and United Rugby Championship games on air this February and March.
STV Player is home to high-end drama box sets, such as Those Who Kill, Betrayal, Joan, Playing Nice, Trigger Point, Vera and The Fix; quiz shows The Chase, The 1% Club and Deal or No Deal; top network soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale; fan favourites Brookside and Irish drama Red Rock; and classic shows like Taggart and Rebus. On its own, the service is free with adverts or ad-free on subscription.
Viewers can sign up to the combined service from 5 February via STV Player.
Richard Williams, MD of STV Digital, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Premier Sports to offer viewers the perfect mix of ad-free TV shows and thrilling live sport all in the one place.
"STV Player is no stranger to major sports tournaments, with the likes of the UEFA Euros, FIFA World Cup and Rugby World Cup all delivering record-breaking audiences for our streamer.
"This partnership with Premier Sports significantly elevates the sports offering via our platform whilst, at the same time, bringing our vast range of high-quality content to a raft of new viewers.”
Richard Sweeney, CEO of Premier Sports, commented: "We’re delighted to partner with STV Player increasing the availability of our Premier Sports channels and offering fans an unrivalled mix of live sport and top-quality entertainment.
"With a strong lineup of Scottish sport including the three main Scottish football competitions plus broadcasting Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh in Europe and the URC, it’s the perfect fit for STV’s audience, making premium content more accessible than ever.”