Scotland's winter break will be reinstated next season after Scottish Professional Football League officials agreed a radical overhaul of the League Cup.
It is hoped the new-look competition - which will feature a summer group stage - will boost crowds and club coffers alike.
The SPFL's plans have already been given the backing of broadcasters BT Sport, who have signed up to a four-year deal which will see 13 games screened live each season - including six from the 40-team round-robin stage.
As part of that commitment, Press Association Sport understands BT has agreed to more than double the £900,000 a year generated by the existing television contract with the BBC.
The new format will see Scotland's senior league clubs - minus the four Champions League and Europa League representatives - plus the winners of the Highland and Lowland Leagues split into eight groups of five. Teams will play each other once with the group winners and four best-placed runners-up progressing to the knock-out stages with the European hopefuls.
By playing the group games during a two-week window - starting next term on the weekend of July 16 - before the regular league season gets under way, the SPFL says it will guarantee hard-pressed clubs four games during the warmest part of the year while also cutting the number of regular-season dates required for the knock-out rounds from five to four.
That will also allow the league body to bring back a two-week winter break following the 2017 New Year's Day fixtures, 14 years after top-flight clubs decided to scrap the recess.
Among the other features which the SPFL hopes will lure fans back to a competition which has been in decline for a number of years are a "ground-breaking" bonus-point system. G roup stage matches that end in a draw will be settled by an immediate penalty shoot-out with the victorious team awarded two points, while the losers walk away with one.
It is hoped the new system will reduce the number of dead rubbers as the group stage reaches its conclusion.
SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: "The new format of the Scottish League Cup marks an exciting new chapter for the competition and sees Scottish football leading the way with a number of innovations.
"Fans, the media and clubs alike have expressed a desire for competitive summer football which will be delivered from next July while the ground-breaking bonus point system should add incentive to teams and excitement for supporters.
"We are delighted to welcome BT Sport as our exclusive League Cup TV broadcast partner and to have their support for the new format. Our agreement with BT Sport delivers a huge increase in the number of games being shown live as well as providing increased competition prize money for clubs.
"The new format has also enabled the re-introduction of a winter break for Ladbrokes Premiership clubs. We are consulting with Ladbrokes Championship, League 1 and League 2 clubs to establish whether they also favour a winter break in their respective divisions."
Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: "BT Sport is thrilled to deepen its connection to Scottish football through this new long-term deal. Our team looks forward to bringing fans an exciting and innovative new competition later this year."
Falkirk chairman Doug Henderson backed the changes - but called for Scotland's league set-up to be given a similar make over.
The Bairns chief - who last month proposed a 16-team top flight at his club's AGM - said: "This must open the door for us to have positive and collective discussions about the structure of our leagues in Scotland.
"I believe we can now build real momentum to improve Scottish football for the better and hope that discussions can begin at the SPFL January meeting on how clubs should respond to the end of the third year of play-offs."
Source: PA
