Armchair football fans have been given a boost with the news that the Scottish League Cup is to be screened by Premier Sports until 2031.

The four-year extension to the current deal has been described as “brilliant news” by SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster.

The tournament will continue to be known as the Premier Sports Cup for the duration of the agreement.

Premier Sports has also negotiated a deal to broadcast a minimum of four matches from the Challenge Cup, which has been reformatted and rebranded as the KDM Evolution Trophy.

Doncaster said: “We place great value on our long-standing partnership with Premier Sports and it’s brilliant news that we’ve agreed a major extension for the Premier Sports Cup for a further four years.

“Premier Sports continue to be a fantastic supporter of our game, with their high-quality coverage of SPFL matches, and their ongoing commitment is a real boost for Scottish football. We look forward to working together to build on the success of the Premier Sports Cup in the seasons ahead.”

The Premier Sports Cup group stage starts this weekend with Hearts clash against Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline Athletic the stand-out tie on Saturday.

Celtic are the current holders having beaten Rangers in an epic cup final last season, the Hoops winning 5-4 on penalties after the match finished 3-3 after extra time.

Brendan Rodgers’ side, along with Rangers, Hibs, Dundee United and Aberdeen have been given a bye to the last 16 because of their participation in Europe.