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James · 09-11-2013, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Champions League: BT Sport win £897m football rights deal

BT Sport has announced an exclusive £897m three-year deal which will end two decades of live Champions League football on terrestrial TV.

The broadcaster has won the rights to show all 350 matches each season from 2015 after talks with European governing body Uefa.

A BT spokesman said it had "shaken up the UK TV market" and would make some games, including finals, free to air.

The news is a major blow to Sky and ITV, who currently share the rights.

While BT said it was the first time a single UK broadcaster had won the exclusive live rights to all matches from the two tournaments, Sky said the deal was "far in excess" of its own valuation.

"I am thrilled that BT Sport will be the only place where fans can enjoy all the live action from the Champions League and Europa League," said BT chief executive Gavin Patterson.

The contract, priced at £299m a season, is worth more than double the current arrangement, which could mean significantly more money for clubs in the two European competitions.

Each of the 32 teams in the group phase of the Champions League currently receive a participation payment of around £7m and £396,000 for every match played in the group stages. The winners get more than £30m in total.

As part of the deal, BT has said it will show at least one match involving each participating British team for free every season.

John Petter, boss of the company's consumer division, told BBC Radio 5 live the new deal would mean customers having to pay for some of the matches.

"These games are going to need to be chargeable, that's true. But they'll be far more affordable than today's competition," he said.

"So today, to get the whole competition, you typically have to pay Sky £40 or so a month. The pricing is not being announced today, but I can say that this will be far more affordable than currently."

Quote:

BT Sport deal highlights
Three-year deal costing £897m
All 350 matches in the Champions League and Europa League broadcast live each season from 2015
First time a single UK broadcaster has won the exclusive live rights
Champions League final will be shown for free from 2015
At least one match involving each participating British team for free every season

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24879138

Does this mean that live football is being banished to pay TV? :S

MTVN · 09-11-2013, 11:32 AM

Massive for them but a bit of a shame, quite like still having one of the games on ITV each CL week

michael21 · 09-11-2013, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTVN

Massive for them but a bit of a shame, quite like still having one of the games on ITV each CL week

and itv4 on Thursday now it all gone

Natalie. · 09-11-2013, 04:32 PM

Aw I look forward to watching a game on itv

arista · 09-11-2013, 04:37 PM

"The news is a major blow to Sky "

Sky has so much More Sports , not a blow.

ITV it will effect though.

michael21 · 09-11-2013, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morrissey

Aw I look forward to watching a game on itv

me to England will still be on itv

sky are going down

King Gizzard · 09-11-2013, 04:43 PM

Can't believe it's been allowed that there's no free to air coverage, I'm sure there was some kind of law saying there has to be some at least, that might just be with the World Cup and European Championships, which were ruled out of letting Sky/BT bid for rights when they tried it earlier this year

I would be annoyed, because I don't have/want BT sport, but I probably will have given up Sky by then

fingers · 09-11-2013, 04:48 PM

That's Life!

When Sky tried out Pay Per View TV viewers fell for the hype and gave them the money, Sky immediately understood that PPV TV would work, so viewers have only themselves to blame.

James · 09-11-2013, 05:24 PM

BT say they will show one game per British team on free TV plus the final so that will be six games, compared to ten now on ITV, not counting qualifiers.

It's like what happened with Formula 1 where you only get half the races on the BBC now. It reduces interest in the season if you can't follow it at every race.

Quote:

Originally Posted by arista

"The news is a major blow to Sky "

Sky has so much More Sports , not a blow.

ITV it will effect though.

ITV is turning into a channel of reality shows, soaps and period dramas. They used to show live athletics and boxing (in prime-time) and snooker too, as well as F1. I guess sports rights are just getting too expensive for the non-pay channels.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan

Can't believe it's been allowed that there's no free to air coverage, I'm sure there was some kind of law saying there has to be some at least, that might just be with the World Cup and European Championships, which were ruled out of letting Sky/BT bid for rights when they tried it earlier this year

I would be annoyed, because I don't have/want BT sport, but I probably will have given up Sky by then

Yeah, all the World Cup and European Championships games have to be on free TV. I think UEFA and FIFA wanted it so that only home-nation games (plus the later stages) were live on free TV, but that was rejected.