BT Snaps Aviva Premiership underneath Sky and ESPN’s noses
BT, who snapped up some of the Premier League football rights from next season have done a deal to show live Aviva Premiership Rugby matches exclusively from 2014-15 for three years.
The deal which sees any team involved in European competition eligible to be shown on the new BT Channel along with JP Morgan Asset Management sevens.
BT Vision CEO Marc Watson said in the new deal the company would look to distribute its prize on a variety of platforms. “We plan to bring the excitement of the very best matches to as wide an audience as possible. BT is delighted to have secured this deal. Rugby Union is entering a thrilling phase with the World Cup being staged here in 2015 and rugby returning to the Olympics in 2016.”
The new deal may well dent some of the subscribers for Sky and particularly ESPN. Sky at the moment still have the Heineken and European cup rights, however ESPN now have lost their prized rights in domestic rugby and football.
New deal outline
- New deal costs £152 Million.
- Exclusive live broadcast rights to up to 69 matches per season from Aviva Premiership Rugby for four years starting from the 2013-14 season.
- Exclusive live broadcast rights to matches from the entire JP Morgan Asset Management Sevens Series for four years starting from the 2013-14 season
- Exclusive live broadcast rights to matches of Aviva Premiership teams in any future European competitions for three years starting from the 2014-15 season.
