ITV secures Champions League to 2015

ITV has retained the rights to broadcast live UEFA Champions League football until 2015 under a new three-year deal announced today.

Under the new agreement with UEFA, ITV will broadcast the first pick of Tuesday live Champions League matches from each stage of the competition, from the play-offs through to the final – 18 games in total across each of the 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons. ITV has also retained the rights to broadcast the UEFA Super Cup.

ITV has a long association with the UEFA Champions League having broadcast coverage since the tournament’s inception in 1992. As part of an enhanced new media rights agreement over the latest term, ITV will also broadcast its live matches online and on demand – and has secured online and mobile VOD rights to clips of all matches and the rights to include commercial advertising across online and mobile UEFA Champions League content.

ITV’s Controller of Sport, Niall Sloane said: “The UEFA Champions League continues to set the benchmark for sports competitions across the world and has been a hugely successful part of the ITV1 schedule over many years.

We’re delighted to be extending this long relationship and to have agreed a new deal in which ITV1 will continue to broadcast the competition free-to-air, and ITV will also have increased opportunities to bring the Champions League to viewers across our online and on-demand platforms.”

ITV1 UEFA Champions League matches continue to attract excellent viewing figures, with coverage across this year’s knockout phase averaging 6.3 million viewers to date.