The SPFL is exploring an innovative deal to ensure every Scottish Championship fixture is filmed to broadcast standard and potentially available to stream live.

STV understands the league is considering installing unmanned cameras at all ten stadiums, similar to technology introduced this season in Germany's lower leagues.

If a deal is completed, it would mean all 180 of the country's second-tier fixtures would be filmed and potentially available for live broadcast.

The Pixellot system used in Germany enables clubs and leagues to stream and film games from a single camera with multiple lens that automatically tracks the ball.

Clubs have been informed of the plans in the hope cameras will be in place in time for the start of the 2018/19 season.

The installation of the cameras would aid every team in selling live broadcasts of their games outside of the UK and Ireland.

Many clubs already film games and stream them through a paid subscription platform but the new technology would remove the burden on clubs to pay production costs.

The move could also open up opportunities such as the ability to stream games on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, although there are no firm plans in place to explore such an option at present.

Current Championship games are, in the main, not filmed by any of the SPFL's main broadcast partners and only a small amount of fixtures are broadcast live.

The football broadcast market in the United Kingdom is approaching a pivotal point, with the opportunities and threats presented by the online streaming of games in the spotlight.

The English Football League has launched a new platform called iFollow, which enables supporters based outside of the UK to watch all of their club's games live on a paid-for digital platform for £110 a year.

As is the case in Scotland, home-based fans who want to watch games online which kick off at 3pm on a Saturday are currently prevented from doing so because of UEFA rules on blocked broadcasting hours.

In a bid to tackle illegal broadcasting of games, the English Premier League this week obtained a court order allowing them to shut down the source of streams available online and on platforms such as Kodi.