Serie A: BBC Alba coverage invoking Gazzetta Football Italia memories delights fans

Neil Paterson, commercial, rights and business affairs manager at the BBC, said: “I’m 42, so I loved the Channel 4 show and wanted it to be a nod to that.

“The BBC has blanket music agreements with a company called BMG, and the theme song was included in that, so it was pretty straightforward.

“I get on well with Channel 4’s head of sport, so it was a case of calling them as a courtesy to let them know what we were planning. They were really pleased and excited about it.”

Seven Scottish players, including Napoli’s Ballon d’Or nominee Scott McTominay, are playing in Serie A this season.

“We became aware towards the end of last season that DAZN, which owns the UK rights for Serie A, were willing to sublet some international rights,” said Cameron.

“We have been thinking about this since then because we want to capitalise on what is a really big moment in Scottish sporting history – going back to the World Cup with some great players who are playing in one of Europe’s best leagues.”

While some broadcasters buy TV rights in order to sell subscriptions to sports packages and advertising slots, the BBC does so in order to offer licence-fee payers the best value for money.

BBC Alba is a partnership between the BBC and MG Alba, meaning the channel’s output is funded by both the licence fee and the Scottish government. It broadcasts content in Gaelic, with co-commentary on Serie A matches featuring both Gaelic and English.

“Sport is really important to us. It’s a good way to tap in to audiences in Scotland that are underserved and offer them something which is normally behind a paywall,” said Cameron.

“Our opportunities to draw big attention online can be quite limited, so we have to be aware of picking the eight games as smartly as possible. The first match performed well.”