Sky Scores Big Champions League Win

Sky has won the TV, mobile and online rights for most of the Champions League games between 2009 and 2012 for an estimated £240 million.

The satellite broadcaster has also gained rights to show highlights on a Tuesday and all games on a Wednesday, apart from the first-choice fixture.

Sky outbid three rivals to secure the rights, and it is believed that the size of Sky’s bid lead Uefa to make an earlier than expected decision.

The European football governing body said that it has received bids for the remaining rights. ITV and the BBC are tipped to be interested in bidding.

However, it is thought that Sky is still in the running for the Wednesday match, with much depending on whether Uefa decides to reserve at least one game for a free-to-air broadcaster.

Jeremy Darroch, BSkyB chief executive, said: “We have secured an excellent rights package at a price which we believe reflects their value to our customers and which recognises the increasing attractiveness of this competition to our business.”

The deal will see Sky increase the number of matches it shows per season from 103 to 130, using its interactive service to show several games at once.

Sky: 08702 40 40 40 www.sky.com