BT wins rights to show Premiership football

Broadband TV service 'over the moon'

By Tim Richardson • Get more from this author

Posted in Telecoms, 25th May 2006 16:05 GMT

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BT has won the right to show Premier League football "on demand" following an £84.3m joint bid with satellite TV broadcaster BSkyB.

Exactly how much each company will pay is being kept under wraps. However, it is the most high profile content deal struck by the giant telco to date as it prepares for the autumn launch of its broadband TV service BT Vision.

As part of the deal with the Football Association (FA), BT has won the rights to carry 242 "near-live" Premier League football matches a season.

The three year deal kicks off with the 2007-8 season when footie fans will be able to watch full Premiership matches on their televisions on a pay per view basis.

Games will be available to view "on demand" via a broadband link from 10pm on match day giving fans a window of up to 50 hours to watch the match.

"We're delighted to have won this bid," Bt chief exec Dan Marks said. "This is a landmark moment for sports viewing in the UK as BT Vision customers will have great control, convenience and choice over the games they want to watch without the need for an upfront subscription." ®

Free webcast: Service level monitoring and management