ITV is to continue its long association with European football after securing the rights to broadcast free-to-air highlights of both the Champions League and Europa League until 2018.
The new deal with UEFA guarantees coverage of the two competitions on terrestrial television for three years starting from the 2015/2016 season.
Each week during both competitions, ITV will show comprehensive highlights programmes covering all of the week’s Champions League games on Wednesday nights, followed by action from key Europa League ties on Thursday nights.
ITV will also show extensive highlights of both finals, as well as the UEFA Super Cup – held in August between the winners of both UEFA club competitions, as part of the deal.
The move ensures that one of the UK’s main terrestrial channels will continue to screen European football beyond 2015.
This follows BT Sport’s sensational £900m deal for exclusive live coverage to Champions League and Europa League games earlier this month, beating both Sky and ITV, who have shared Champions League rights since 2003, to the lucrative rights.
ITV’s three-year deal also covers online and mobiles rights to both competitions on ITV’s football website and continues the channel’s association with the Champions League which stretches back to 1992.
Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said: “We are happy to have secured these highlights packages and to be able to bring them to a significant free-to-air viewership.
“ITV continues to show live coverage and highlights of Champions League and Europa League matches until 2015.
“It is the exclusive broadcaster of all England’s international World Cup and European Championship qualifying matches and friendlies until 2018.
“ITV also shows the FA Cup until the end of the 2013/2014 season.”
Alongside ITV’s own separate digital rights, BT Sport will also share online and mobile clip rights with News UK, owner of the Times and Sun newspapers, from 2015 onwards.
Subscribers to BT Sport and News UK’s digital platforms will be able to watch clips from European matches soon after on their mobile, tablet, PC and laptop devices.
John Petter, chief executive, BT Consumer, said: “BT Sport has already pledged to make UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League action far more accessible and affordable for customers.
“The addition of clips rights means that fans need not worry about missing any of the vital moments from matches.”
Well I suppose it better than having no European Football, But I think ITVSport need bid for a European domestic League Football season.
Good news for terrestrial viewers. Don’t think there is any live football rights on offer now as Sky and BT have sewn them all up between them. Sorry state of affairs for fans but sadly there’s nothing us poor souls can do about it.