Day Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 BT Sport will be the new UK home of UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League football, following a tender process in which BT won the exclusive live broadcast rights to all 350 matches from both tournaments. The rights run for three seasons from 2015/16. This is the first time a single UK broadcaster has won the exclusive live rights to all matches from both tournaments. The hundreds of additional top tier matches will boost BT Sport and make it the natural home for football fans who wish to see the very best European sides pitted against each other. BT has shaken up the UK TV market with BT Sport and it today pledged to make its new matches far more accessible and affordable for fans who wish to enjoy all the action. It also announced it will show a selection of these new matches for free on BT Sport, even to homes that have not signed up to the channels. The finals of each tournament will be showcased in this fashion along with a selection of top matches from earlier rounds. Fans will also be delighted to know that each participating British team will feature for free at least once each season. BT Sport already boasts a very strong line-up of live sport coverage from Fridays to Sundays and the new mid-week games will ensure the channels are even stronger, with fantastic live football being broadcast regularly throughout the week. Gavin Patterson, BT chief executive, said today: "I am thrilled that BT Sport will be the only place where fans can enjoy all the live action from the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. Both tournaments are world class and firm favourites with many. The live rights will give a major boost to BT Sport and give people yet another reason to take our terrific service.” "BT Sport has got off to a strong start with customers enjoying what we have to offer. We have attracted millions of customers by giving sport back to the fans, and we can assure people who want to catch all the action, that European football will be far more accessible and affordable with BT.” Commenting on the award of rights, Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Events SA Marketing Director, said: “UEFA is delighted to welcome newcomer BT Sport to the family of UEFA Champions League rights holders. Since its launch in the summer, BT Sport has been UEFA’s partner for the UEFA Europa League and has demonstrated its ability to deliver premium sports coverage. We look forward to working with BT Sport on both competitions in the 2015-18 rights cycle.” The UEFA Champions League, which features the top Barclays Premier League football teams, is an incredibly popular tournament with the total UK audience being around 30 million viewers on average in recent seasons . In addition to the top teams from England, Celtic have also featured, having qualified for the main stages of the tournament via earlier rounds. The UEFA Europa League, which was won last season by Chelsea, currently features the fifth placed Barclays Premier League team as well as the winners of the FA Cup and League Cup. Teams that drop out of the UEFA Champions League group stages also feature in the tournament. BT Sport is the UK's newest and most vibrant sports TV service, with three channels showing live top tier action from the Barclays Premier League and the Aviva Premiership as well as a host of other sport. BT has more than two million customers who take the service and the channels reach around four million homes when BT’s wholesale deal with Virgin Media is taken into account. It is also the home for top European league football, showing regular live matches from Germany's Bundesliga, France's Ligue1 and Italy's Serie A. This means many of the stars who will feature in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League will already be familiar to BT Sport viewers. BT Sport is free to BT Broadband customers in the UK, with live and catch-up programming available via BT TV, Sky and Virgin Media. Live and catch-up content is also available to BT broadband customers via BTSport.com and the BT Sport mobile and tablet apps. http://sport.bt.com/sportfootball/football/bt-sport-wins-all-live-uk-tv-rights-to-uefa-champions-league-and-uefa-europa-league-S11363847946944 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddie Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I'm very impressed with how BT Sport have gone about their business. Their Bundesliga coverage is definitely worth watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CumbrianRam Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 If only BT were so keen to update broadband coverage outside urban areas... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Day Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 If only BT were so keen to update broadband coverage outside urban areas... Still on dial up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Contain Nuts Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Not actually arsed if the coverage is any good, I just want to watch games now and then. As much as we all hate ITV, at least I wasn't being forced into an extra subscription to view the odd big match. And now Adrian Chiles will have to do even LESS to earn his millions. *****. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CumbrianRam Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Only BT have an overpaid kids TV presenter as their lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Day Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 At least it keeps him away from F1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyinLiverpool Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I don't watch the champions' league anyway so I won't miss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maydrakin Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I'll be glad to see the back of Champions League football on the telly. It, along with Sky, is everything bad about preserving competition in the top division. Sack the whole thing off and pack the top 4 to a European super league, so everyone else can enjoy a competitive league again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rezner Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I've got BT Sport , and I like it. It's fresh and something different. I'm sure in a couple of seasons it'll be bang on. Glad to see Sky not getting there way yet again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-JW- Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I've not got BT but i'm pleased about this as Sky will be fookin gutted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Day Posted November 10, 2013 Author Share Posted November 10, 2013 I've got Sky and I'm not pleased about this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
needles Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Makes their broadband the tempting one to go for if you're changing though doesn't it?As soon as they start charging, forget it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alph Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Don't go to BT!! I can't wait to get away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rezner Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Don't go to BT!! I can't wait to get away! Each to there own. I've never had a problem with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alph Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Each to there own. I've never had a problem with them. I always was happy with the way Sky treated us. BT lied about our usage. Can't get anything done because its call centres are abroad and hard work. Changing anything ties you up for another 18 months etc The biggest thing was the usage. We magically use less now its unlimited than when we weren't unlimited but if anything we use stuff like Netflix and RamsPlayer along with football streaming and Sky Go that we never had before. Makes me furious stuff like that. Atleast be consistent thieves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rezner Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I always was happy with the way Sky treated us. BT lied about our usage. Can't get anything done because its call centres are abroad and hard work. Changing anything ties you up for another 18 months etc The biggest thing was the usage. We magically use less now its unlimited than when we weren't unlimited but if anything we use stuff like Netflix and RamsPlayer along with football streaming and Sky Go that we never had before. Makes me furious stuff like that. Atleast be consistent thieves! I always go for unlimited , whether it's broadband or phone usage.Don't like surprises Sky for me were awful, service,router , reliability, everything really. The only one (and i've had a few) I would go back to is Plusnet. They were very good , but even they only wanted to give me what I wanted when I wanted to leave. Still pretty good when I was there though. Like I say each to there own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perky1106 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 This is bad news for customers/fans as they now have to pay £15p/m more to have what they were getting on Sky Sports anyway. The two companies are in cahoots anyway as BT Sport is available through a Sky set top box and Sky Sports is available on BT's YouView boxes. It's only fair that the monthly fee for Sky Sports should be reduced, unless Sky spend the money they've saved on purchasing UEFA rights on something else just as popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CumbrianRam Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 BT was plotting more raids on BSkyB’s most prized sports content on Sunday night following its staggering £900 million capture of Champions League football. The media giant’s £2 billion spending spree on some of the world’s most valuable broadcast rights is understood to be far from over, with nothing thought to be off limits in terms of future properties. Sky Sports’ coverage of England cricket and rugby matches, British and Irish Lions tours, the Ryder Cup golf, men’s tennis and Formula One could all therefore come under threat in the coming years, never mind the broadcaster’s stranglehold on Premier League football in the next round of bidding. BT did not just have Sky in its sights, with rights held by the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 also likely to warrant serious consideration as it attempts to fill a hole in its summer schedule. BT Sport was on Sunday still basking in the glory of becoming the first rival network to eclipse Sky in an auction for a major football property, having blown it and ITV out of the water to become the exclusive home of the European club game for at least three years from 2015. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/10440065/Now-BT-plots-major-raid-on-summer-sports.html Expect major price rises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srg Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 People do realise BT Sport is only free for 1 year with their broadband right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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