BBC not interested in Football League live rights

UK public-service broadcaster the BBC is interested in retaining highlights rights for English Football League competitions, but is not interested in live games, according to the Daily Mail.

The English Football League controls the rights for England’s second, third and fourth-tier leagues and the League Cup knockout competition which involves teams from the Premier League down to the fourth tier.

The BBC is currently in talks with the league about a rights deal from the start of the 2012-13 season.

Under the current three-year deal, from 2009-10 to 2011-12, the BBC shows 10 games live from the Football League’s Championship division per year, as well as the Football League Show weekly highlights programme on Saturday nights. As part of the deal, the BBC also broadcasts exclusive live coverage of two semi-final legs of the League Cup as well as live coverage of the tournament’s final, which is simulcast by pay-television broadcaster BSkyB.