Hearts and Hibs prepared for streaming if fixtures played behind closed doors

Supporters won’t miss out on any action from Tynecastle and Easter Road

Hearts and Hibs are both in a position to stream matches from Tynecastle and Easter Road next season so fans don’t miss out on any action.

There is a realistic prospect that the start of the 2020/21 campaign will be played behind closed doors.

Due to finances and Scottish club’s reliance on generating revenue on matchdays, there has been much deliberation already regarding what leagues and clubs can play without fans in attendance.

Hearts and Hibs fans may have to watch games on live streams next season. Picture: SNS

Such an issue was included in the league reconstruction document presented to the SPFL member clubs by Hearts chair An Budge.

There is a realisation that it may take some time for crowds to be able to attend fixtures in large numbers. At the same time the SPFL are keen for football to return as soon as possible with two new broadcasting contracts beginning in the summer. First the Premier Sports deal for the Betfred Cup, followed by Sky Sports’ five-year deal to show 48 Premiership matches per season which is expected to be worth around £150million.

Hearts and Hibs have sold well over 10,000 season tickets between them for next season as fans of both sides have backed their clubs since the shutdown.

The Evening News understands the two clubs are in a position to provide live streaming of games to supporters if fixtures are required to be played behind closed doors.

Both have partnerships with Stream Digital, the company also used by other Scottish Premiership sides, such as Aberdeen and Celtic according to The Athletic.

Many of the top-flight clubs offer overseas fans live streaming of matches via their subscription TV channels.

In March, both Hearts and Hibs allowed season ticket holders free access to their TV channels for the “duration of league shutdown”.

The Scottish FA revealed earlier this month that the coronavirus Joint Response Group had discussed a number of areas within the broadcast and innovation sub-group, including “online streaming… in the event of behind closed doors (BCD) games or partially BCD games becoming necessary”. There was also focus on “virtual season tickets, radio, club channels and broadcast partner interaction, blocked hours and SPFL media licences”.

A working group was set up to explore the next steps which could see games on a central platform rather than spread across different clubs.

There is no expected date for fans to be allowed to return to stadiums with the Scottish Government releasing its route map out of lockdown last week, outlining the different stages in which it hopes to relax certain restrictions, including live sport.

With Phase 1 set to begin soon, it is not until the second phase where there is “a resumption of professional sport in line with public health advice”. Then in Phase 3, “live events permitted with restricted numbers and physical distancing restrictions”.