Scottish football clubs received a record £49.6 million from the SPFL last year as new television and commercial deals drove league revenues to an all-time high.
The Scottish Professional Football League said total distributions to clubs increased by £7.6 million, or 18%, compared with the previous year.
Group income also climbed to £58 million, while fees paid directly to clubs increased by £6 million to £41.2 million – a rise of 17%.
In the previous financial year, the SPFL distributed £42 million to clubs and recorded group income of £50.4 million. Distributions have therefore risen by almost £12 million in just two years, from £37.9 million in 2024.
Sky Sports and Premier Sports currently hold agreements to show live William Hill Premiership matches until 2029, while Premier Sports also has an enhanced deal covering the broadcast and sponsorship of the League Cup until at least 2031.
The SPFL had previously set itself a target of distributing £50 million a year to clubs by 2029 following a strategic review carried out by Deloitte’s Sports Business Group in 2021.
It has now come within £400,000 of that figure and believes the £50 million mark could be passed this season.
“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.
“Successfully balancing broadcast revenue with match-day attendances and the unique atmosphere created within packed stadia is central to the SPFL being recognised widely as one of the most intense, compelling, and emotive sporting competitions in the world.”
SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan said: “These latest accounts are extremely encouraging and a real credit to the partnerships between the small, dedicated staff at the SPFL and our member clubs.
“These record-breaking figures demonstrate Scottish football’s incredible popularity, and we believe that by working closely with the 42 SPFL clubs across all four divisions, we can deliver our aim to achieve £50m of distributions to members this season – which would be two years ahead of the ambitious target we set ourselves four years ago.”
The SPFL represents 42 clubs across the Premiership, Championship, League One and League Two.