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BT beats Sky to Champions League and Europa League TV rights
BT has secured another three-year deal for Champions League and Europa League football, extending its lucrative TV rights until 2021 in the UK. The contract is worth £1.2 billion, up from £897 million in 2013, and includes both the group stages and knockout rounds of each competition. As BBC News notes, the latest auction -- which takes effect from the 2018/19 season -- gives BT true exclusivity. That means no matches or highlights will be shown through the free-to-air broadcaster ITV. In return, BT has promised to "enhance its social media coverage" with shareable clips and weekly roundups. It will also continue showing the finals on YouTube.
Ofcom is happy with how much live football is shown on TV
Almost two years after it waded into the debate about an apparent lack of live football on TV, UK communications regulator Ofcom has decided it's time to tap out. The watchdog announced today that it will close its probe, which was carried out under the Competition Act 1998 and assessed whether the Premier League was restricting competition by limiting available matches, after the League decided to increase the number of live games from 168 to 190 from the 2019-20 season onwards.
BT's football final coverage attracts 3 million on YouTube
BT Sport's YouTube experiment turned out to be quite successful. As the Guardian reports, the broadcaster attracted three million people to its live coverage of the Champions League and Europa League finals on the platform. Anyone in the UK was able to watch these streams, regardless of whether or not they were a BT Sport subscriber. It was offered alongside BT Sport Showcase, a free-to-watch Freeview channel that BT is forced to provide as part of its Champions League and Europa League TV rights deal. It was the first time both finals have been shown for free on YouTube.
Formula 1 coverage moves from BBC to Channel 4 next season
As the latest Premier League auction has shown, obtaining live TV rights to prestigious sporting events is expensive. It's unsurprising, therefore, to hear that the BBC is cutting back on its coverage to meet its new savings targets, starting with Formula 1. The broadcaster currently shows 10 races each season, as well as highlights from the other nine aired by Sky. It's now prematurely ending its contract, however, and giving Channel 4 the opportunity to take over from next year. Channel 4 is getting a three-year deal -- the amount that was left on the BBC's contract -- and has promised zero advertising breaks like its predecessor during each live race.
Sky Sports will show 100 extra La Liga matches this season
To make up for its lack of Champions League and Europa League football, Sky is doubling down on La Liga. The broadcaster will be showing over 300 matches from the Spanish division this season -- up from its usual tally of roughly 200. British interest in the league has always been high, given the quality of teams such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. With the extra games, however, Sky Sports customers will get to see more of football superstars Messi, Ronaldo, Suarez and Bale on their TVs. Are the fixtures enough to counterbalance the loss of the Champions League? No, but it's better than nothing. BT Sport is steadily growing its stockpile of live TV rights, so it's in Sky's interest to do the same. The company still has the lion's share of Premier League rights, but expanding its La Liga offering could stop a few unhappy subscribers from jumping ship.
