The broadcasting giants have moved matches of all three contenders as the title race heats up.

Hearts’ fixture against Livingston away next month has been moved to accommodate broadcasting rights.

The match will now be part of an exciting Scottish Premiership double header with Celtic’s trip to Dundee, as the Hoops have also had their fixture date altered. The news comes after a weekend of consequence in the title race which for the second gameweek running, saw Hearts extending their lead at the top of the table on both of their Glaswegian rivals.

The Jambos now sit six points clear of Rangers and eight ahead of Celtic - who will face Aberdeen at Pittodrie in their game in hand on Wednesday night. As the title race hots up, so does broadcaster interest, with Hearts’ next league fixture against Kilmarnock also being shown on Sky Sports on March 14. This will mark the 15th time this season a Hearts match has been broadcast on either Sky Sports or Premier Sports - the two Scottish Premiership broadcast partners.

Livingston vs Hearts moved for TV rights

Livingston vs Hearts was meant to take place on Saturday, April 4 at 3:00pm, but is now instead pencilled in for April 5 at 2:00pm (GMT). Celtic’s trip to Dens Park was also meant to be played at the traditional Saturday time but will now take place straight after the Hearts match at 4:30pm in a SPFL double-header.

Elsewhere in the SPFL announcement, Rangers’ trip to Falkirk the following week has been moved to 12 noon on April 12 so it can be shown on Sky Sports. Meanwhile, in the Scottish Championship Queen’s Park vs Ross County has been moved to Friday, April 10 at 7:45pm in a match which could have huge relegation ramifications.

The last time Hearts travelled to Livingston was September, where substitute Alexandros Kyziridis saved the day with his 91st minute winner, after Claudio Braga cancelled out Lewis Smith’s opener. At that point, only three points separated the sides - a number that now stands at 49.

What McInnes said after Dons win

Hearts have had more convincing victories this season than their 1-0 win at home to Aberdeen on Saturday, but after watching Rangers and Celtic draw at Ibrox in the following day’s Old Firm derby, it could be one of their most important. After the match, manager Derek McInnes said he’d have liked to have killed the game off sooner, but he was still happy with the performance and result.

He said: “In terms of what the players gave us, it was the type of performance I was hoping for. In an ideal world, from a Hearts perspective, you would want a second goal to enjoy that last part. While it's only 1-0, credit Aberdeen. A combination of us being a bit scruffy when we're finishing and some decent defending from Aberdeen keeps the game at 1-0. While the game is only 1-0, the opposition will still feel they've got a chance and they keep trying to throw things at it.

“I actually thought, after 75-80 minutes, you've got a decision to make whether you stick or twist. We tried to become the counter-attacking team a bit more and we defended really well. It’s a good three points, no more than we deserved. Just as important as that was a good performance. At this stage of the season when there's a lot on it, 1-0 is a great result for us. The performance was really pleasing as well for me.”

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