Kilmarnock v Rangers WON’T be live on Sky Sports – here’s why

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Kilmarnock v Rangers WON’T be live on Sky Sports – here’s why
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 01: Rangers fans look on during the Ladbrokes Premiership match between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox Stadium on September 1, 2019 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

Rangers fans are today bewildered after it was confirmed tomorrow’s titanic tussle with Kilmarnock will NOT be aired on Sky Sports, and instead tonight’s Ross County St Mirren was instead picked for broadcast along with Livingston Motherwell tomorrow.

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With this a midweek fixture card, it was anticipated that one of the Old Firm, and in this case Rangers with it being an away match, would be broadcast live, and of course with so much riding on the trip to Rugby Park and it being an upper table clash, there was every reason to deduce it would be live.

But no, Sky Sports chose not to show this one, picking both County and Livi instead.

Now, there is likely a logistics and broadcast restriction reason on this – we’re not sure the current rules, but in years gone by only two home Rangers and two home Celtic matches were allowed live, and of course, that basically means the Old Firm matches.

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And having done some digging, this rule is in part still true – Sky Sports can only show a maximum of four home games from any non-Rangers or Celtic team, and have already shown Killie at Rugby Park three times.

They have decided to save the final one for the Split, and were assuming Killie are top 6 and still a force by then – the decision was made earlier in the season and before Killie’s stunning current position was ‘underway’.

It’s a gamble, and they’ve made the choice that more will rest on the Split fixtures, a gamble which didn’t pay off too well in this case.

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This has turned into a huge match, with Killie 4th and Rangers often coming a cropper here, so this one ended up a fail from Sky Sport.

It was a 50/50, and this one backfired – Sky Sports miss out on a massive audience and instead show some diddy matches to keep up their four home match quota.

Bit of a bum note but there you go.

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