Story perspectives

BBC ALBA and Sport to air 38 Serie A matches

8/20/2026

Summary

Story summary

BBC ALBA and BBC Sport will broadcast 38 live Serie A matches beginning with Atalanta v Sassuolo on 23 August 2026, with ALBA showing 19 matches with Gaelic and English co-commentary on iPlayer and BBC Sport streaming 19 matches on iPlayer with English commentary.
MG Alba director Margaret Cameron said the deal lets fans follow Serie A stories in Gaelic and highlights Scottish internationals Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour, Lewis Ferguson, Josh Doig and English internationals John Stones and Djed Spence.

History

Historical Context

Following the Broadcasting Act 1990, which created a £9 million Gaelic Television Fund, and the 1996 act that boosted support, Scotland launched its first dedicated Gaelic channel, BBC Alba, in October 1999. The channel inherited earlier Gaelic blocks on BBC Two (1993) and children’s slots from 1985, expanding to live sports and positioning Scotland as a European example of minority-language broadcasting.

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Story summary

BBC ALBA and BBC Sport will broadcast 38 live Serie A matches beginning with Atalanta v Sassuolo on 23 August 2026, with ALBA showing 19 matches with Gaelic and English co-commentary on iPlayer and BBC Sport streaming 19 matches on iPlayer with English commentary.
MG Alba director Margaret Cameron said the deal lets fans follow Serie A stories in Gaelic and highlights Scottish internationals Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour, Lewis Ferguson, Josh Doig and English internationals John Stones and Djed Spence.

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