UK public-service broadcaster the BBC has agreed a three-year deal, from 2012-13 to 2014-15, with the English Football League, for highlights rights to matches from all three divisions of the league, plus the League Cup and Johnstone’s Paint Trophy knockout competitions.
The BBC, a rights-holder of the competitions in the period 2009-10 to 2011-12, will continue to broadcast its hour-long Saturday-night highlights programme the Football League Show, plus midweek highlights of the League Cup and highlights programmes for the finals of the League Cup and the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
Richard Heaselgrave, chief commercial officer at the Football League, said: “In a short period of time the Football League Show has become an institution amongst supporters of our 72 clubs, more than a million of whom tune in every week for the comprehensive coverage the show delivers.”
IMG Sports Media, a division of the IMG agency, will continue to produce the Football League Show for the BBC.
In the previous cycle the BBC had live rights for 10 first-choice matches per season from the Championship – the league’s top tier – two League Cup semi-final legs and the League Cup final. From next season, pay-television broadcaster BSkyB will be the exclusive live rights-holder for the Football League, under a deal agreed in April last year (TV Sports Markets 15:7).