UEFA awarded a major package of UEFA Champions League media rights for 2009-2012 in the UK to pay-broadcaster BSkyB and is expected to award the remaining rights tomorrow after it invited a second round of bidding.
UEFA said that, as anticipated in a particularly competitive market, offers for the various packages of rights available were received from several of the UK's major broadcasters. After the first round of bidding, BSkyB emerged as the clear winner for a number of rights packages including internet and mobile.
UEFA received a number of offers for the remaining rights. However, the competitive nature of the bidding was such that it invited a second round of bidding and according to UK press reports, the rights will be awarded tomorrow. Free-to-air broadcasters the BBC, ITV and FIVE are all thought to be in the bidding.
Under the new three-year deal, BSkyB will cover more midweek matches than under its current deal and, with additional qualifying matches and the last 16 stage played across eight match-days, there will be an increase in both the number of live games and the number of nights of European football on Sky Sports.
The new deal will give Sky live coverage of up to 15 live matches per week, across both match nights, including: every Tuesday match exclusively live, all but one match exclusively live each Wednesday, exclusive live coverage of one leg from each semi-final and shared live coverage of the UEFA Champions League Final and the UEFA Super Cup.
Jeremy Darroch, Chief Executive of BSkyB, said: “We have secured an excellent rights package at a price which we believe reflects their value to our customers and which recognises the increasingly attractiveness of this competition to our business.
“The Champions League as a competition is going from strength to strength, as is the performance and contribution of English and Scottish clubs.”
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Tags: UK Champions League Rights
