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[Black Sheep]

A message from our CEO.

BT wins all live UK TV rights to UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League


I’m thrilled to announce that BT Sport will be the new UK home of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League football. We’ve won the broadcast rights to 350 football matches a season from 2015/16 for three years. This is the first time a single UK broadcaster has won exclusive live rights to all matches from both tournaments.
BT Sport will be the only place where fans can enjoy all the live action. Both tournaments are incredibly popular, attracting huge television audiences, with an average total UK audience of around 30 million in recent seasons. The live rights will give a major boost to BT Sport and give people yet another reason to take our terrific service.
We said we would continue to review sporting opportunities and look at available options while remaining financially disciplined, and have been able to make this investment without changing our financial outlook. At just 14 weeks old, BT Sport has already attracted millions of customers by giving sport back to the fans and we can assure people that European football will be far more accessible and affordable with BT.
We will show a selection of these new matches for free on BT Sport, even to homes that have not signed up to the channels. This will include finals from both tournaments along with a selection of top matches from earlier rounds.
During the season our channels boast a very strong line-up of live football 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.
This is great news for sporting fans and BT. It brings the excitement of the world's best club tournaments to millions of BT Sport customers who simply want to catch all the action.

[guest]

Great news for BT shareholders, if not customers who are getting stupid increases like paying for CLID?

Nice flamebait BTW.

[UncleUB]

Great news for BT shareholders, if not customers who are getting stupid increases like paying for CLID?

Nice flamebait BTW.

There are millions of BT customers who have no interest in football but at some point they will no doubt be footing the bill for it.

[guest]

Seems to be little escape UncleUB wherever you go, but I just thought the post was incendiary to say the least

[UncleUB]

Seems to be little escape UncleUB wherever you go, but I just thought the post was incendiary to say the least

I know where you are coming from Rizla..

[sevenlayermuddle]

Have to say I too have no interest in the sport, and always become resentful to see any cash from my pocket being spent on it's broadcasts.

Most of all though, I'm resentful that the prolific broadcasting of the sport has rendered so many fine old pubs unnatractive to folks like us. 

[Black Sheep]

If you can't handle a bit of news without trying to kick up a sh1t -fest, then keep your opinions to yourself. I don't give two hoots whether you have an interest in football or not, I was merely posting up a fact. I also know where you are coming from. 

[guest]

I find it amusing how England (FA etc) denies how restricting sports viewers has a correspondingly negative effect on the uptake of the sport while Sport England (Athletics/Olympics) says the opposite.

As a Scot married to an English woman I find this reassuring as I couldn't cope with you guys winning a world cup 50+ years after the last one

From a local perspective the deal which took cricket (much as it bores me) off terrestrial TV has resulted in the Leics cricket ground on Grace Rd becoming a money-losing enterprise over the years. Do bear in mind that Leics is rather unique as Leicester is the only "ethnic" majority city in the UK. If you can't make cricket work in a city that is near enough 50% Indian/Pakistani descent then its game over.

Anyway I do most sincerely hope that BT find sports to be the poisoned chalice. The govt of the day will no doubt bail them out again.

[guest]

If you can't handle a bit of news without trying to kick up a sh1t -fest, then keep your opinions to yourself. I don't give two hoots whether you have an interest in football or not, I was merely posting up a fact. I also know where you are coming from. 

If you can't handle comment then don't post.

[Black Sheep]

I can handle comment. What I detest is small men like you trying to infer I was being "Incendiary", or using, "Flamebait".
If you are unawares, this is particular big news in the telecoms world. Get a grip.

[guest]

"Another coup"

Says it all.

[kitz]

Ahem.  Enough please or I shall lock the thread.   

[Black Sheep]

Apologies, KITZ.

I bit, when I was being accused of something that was as far from the truth as possible. It was a statement of fact.

[kitz]

Its ok BS, Ive changed the topic title. 
I fully realise you were passing on news thats given to you.  Thanks

---
BT do seem to think the sports/football thing is a major coup.* 
Me myself Im not interested in it, but I can imagine there are some that are.
Im glad that some other company is giving sky a run on what used to be their monopoly, but unfortunately the customer will end up paying somewhere along the line.



*When I phoned up BT to cancel my landline, as I was passed from pillar to post, every person that answered 'greeted' me with  "Welcome to BT, home of BT sport"

[sevenlayermuddle]

And let's face it, we (non-fans) can't blame them, it's what most people want and BT, like any other company, are obliged to act in the best interests of the shareholders, ie to make money .   Whilst I personally find it depressing to see pubs laid out for watching sports, all the evidence is I'm a minority... such pubs do tend to be the busy ones.

Equally, the market researchers must have evidence it is what people want at home, else there wouldn't be such competition for rights.

So no offence intended BS, just siezing the opportunity to present the minority viewpoint.