BT Builds Up Football Offerings

LONDON: BT Vision has firmed up new broadcast deals with the top tier football leagues in Italy, France, Brazil and the U.S., after having purchased the English Premier League rights this summer. 

BT’s new deals with Serie A in Italy, Ligue 1 in France, Brasileirão in Brazil and the U.S.’s MLS. This means that the new BT Sport channel takes over ESPN’s football coverage in the U.K. The four new agreements for all for multiple years starting next season. 

The Serie A rights include 380 live matches per season, highlights packages and the weekly preview show Total Italian Football and weekly review Serie A Show. The Ligue 1 rights also cover 380 live matches, and include a weekly preview show and highlights package from each match day. The Brasileirão deal includes 100 live matches per season, weekly highlight shows and TV Globo’s soccer magazine show FootBrazil. The MLS Rigths are for 99 matches per season. 

"We are delighted to announce that we will be adding to the Barclays Premier League live games with more top quality live coverage of games from some of the top leagues in the world," said Marc Watson, BT Vision’s chief executive.

“We believe this extra depth of live matches will help us in our aim to develop an absolutely cracking sports channel, with fantastic live action, across the top football leagues, plus rugby union and other sports to come. We’ve hired the best talent behind the camera to bring to viewers the first rate production that they’ve come to expect from a sports channel in the U.K.”