Sky Sports will show the complete story of the European Qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2016, featuring every player, every country and every match.
For the first time, all 53 nations hoping to qualify will be televised in over 250 matches, giving Sky Sports subscribers the complete qualification story.
Every Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland qualifier will be broadcast exclusively live on Sky Sports, with highlights and analysis of England’s qualifying matches also available.
World Cup winners Germany kick off Sky Sports’ live Euro 2016 qualifying coverage on September 7 with a clash against Scotland and viewers will see all the Home Nations in action in the first three days of matches.
With up to nine live matches on any one night in a Champions League-style format, Sky Sports viewers will be able to follow every twist and turn of the European Qualifiers all in one place.
Joining presenters David Jones and Kate Abdo for match analysis will be Sky Sports’ regular experts including Jamie Carragher, Graeme Souness, Niall Quinn, Jamie Redknapp and Neil McCann.
The analysts will offer their views and insights from a brand new studio complete with giant touchscreen technology.
Sky Sports will be screening the overwhelming majority of live Euro 2016 qualifiers, with free-to-air partners ITV covering all England qualifiers exclusively live as well as selected other matches featuring non-Home Nations on ITV4.
The new shared TV deal for qualifying matches ahead of major tournaments was introduced by UEFA as part of a new centralised broadcasting arrangement, similar to that used for the Champions League, which meant European football’s governing body took control of selling TV rights to qualifying matches, rather than individual national associations.
Under the new centralised system, every UEFA qualifying match will be broadcast live across Europe, giving fans the chance to follow every team during each matchday in a similar way to which fans are now accustomed to following the Champions League.
The majority of Sky’s exclusively live European Qualifiers will be shown on Sky Sports 5, the network’s new “home of European football”, which will offer up to 600 live matches from the world of European football this season.
The brand new channel, launching on 12 August, is available to Sky Sports customers at no extra cost as part of their sports package and as a further bonus they can also get two years’ free Sky Broadband Unlimited.
Fixtures which are not on the main Sky Sports channels will be available on Sky Sports for iPad’s new European Qualifier enhanced experience, featuring video on demand highlights, and on Sky’s red button service.
In addition to European Qualifiers, Sky Sports 5 will also show UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, Coppa Italia and, for the first time, the Netherlands’ top division Eredivisie.
.
.
