BT Sport have just won EXCLUSIVE rights to the Champions League and Europa League from 2015, taking the rights from Sky Sports and ITV. First time Sky have lost a rights bidding battle this big. BT are believed to be paying 1 billion pound for both for the three year deal. I'm guessing some subscribers may hop that summer.
Might depend on how many free-to-air games BT have to make available. Irrespective, it's probably the biggest development in football broadcasting since 1992
Everyone must be pissed. BT Sport is ****ing ****. At least ITV was free. Sky is the best of the three despite the price.
Agree with this. There's something I just don't like about BT Sport and I don't quite know why. I'm quite a fan of Sky just because their TV and sports services are really good quality compared to others although I actually subscribe to neither.
I agree that Sky are better, and ITV are more accessible. So this isn't good either way. Maybe if they ditch Michael Owen it could be watchable... This also further increases the gap between teams in the Champions League and those not. @RobHarris BT often portrayed as the minnows against the giants of Sky ... last full year results: BSkyB revenue £7.2bn - BT revenue £18.3bn
Exactly, it doesn't make me want to subscribe. Just makes me angry knowing they have taken a quality programme form Sky.
Each British team are to be shown free "at least once per season" and both finals will be shown for free too.
So there goes my excitable weekdays of top quality European football **** off bt and stick to your **** internet
Why would you want to watch a match with the expert analysis of David James & Michael Owen, when you could have Jamie Redknapp or Andy Townsend. The mind boggles. Mind the Ginola incident was pretty funny.
BTsport has only just started. Give them a bit of time and a chance and they'll get a good formula together. I for one am glad that someone's finally taken a big dollop of Murdochs own pie and shoved it right up his arse. Plus, isn't BT sport free anyway?
You just picked Sky's and ITV's worst pundits? More like Gary Neville, Graeme Souness, Jamie Carragher or Glenn Hoddle or Lee Dixon and Gordon Strachan.
I'm amazed at some of the responses... Currently this is all free on ITV isn't it? In 2015 you'll have to pay BT for it. How is BT not as evil as Sky? Sky at least deliver a decent service across all of its products, BT is over priced and has the ****tiest customer service in the UK bar none. Free? Sure, if you sign up for their ****ty internet, at the moment that is, how long do you think that will last? They've paid way over the odds and the poor suckers who are customers of theirs will end up pay for it.
BT should have saved their money. If they wanted to deliver a mortal blow to Sky they should have waited till they could outbid Sky for most of the PL rights. If Sky get reduced to just a Saturday lunchtime game millions will cancel their subscriptions.
Or in fact, woulda made the majority of fans feel obliged to fork out twice to see games. Im lucky in that I do get to the games I want to, and already have Sky, then add in the fact BT weren't going to be showing any of our games, although I think they're showing one now soon, Chelsea maybe? So I've had no reason to fork out for their coverage, which costs the same as Sky but offers way less across the board. It's not free if you're paying for BT Internet. You're then paying over the odds for internet, a BT line and ****ty service. No ta.
