BT Sport retains Champions League rights

LONDON: BT Sport has retained exclusive UK broadcast rights to UEFA’s European club competitions after agreeing a reported 1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) deal on Friday.

The deal, which is said to have cost £400 million per year and commences in 2021, gives BT the rights to all 420 games from the Champions League, Europa League and the new Europa Conference League for a further three seasons.

The broadcaster has held the rights since 2015 after it agreed an £897 million deal with European football’s governing body. BT Sport, owned by Britain’s biggest broadband and mobile operator BT, is a paid subscription service. There will be an increase of 77 games from the previous deal, which includes highlights and in-match clips. BT Sport reported a 26 per cent increase in Champions League viewer hours, with last season’s final between Liverpool and Tottenham made available for everyone to watch in the UK via social media. A record 11.3 million people tuned in across all platforms to watch Liverpool win 2-0 as they lifted the European Cup for a sixth time in Madrid. Chief executive of BT’s Consumer Division Marc Allera said: “We’re delighted to remain the home of UEFA Champions League in the UK.”