BT Sport has announced plans to launch a free-to-air digital channel, BT Sport Showcase, to offer live coverage of some Uefa Champions League and Europa League football games next season, as the UK pay-television broadcaster confirmed today (Tuesday) a new price structure for viewers from the 2015-16 season.
The channel will broadcast a minimum of 12 Champions League and 14 Europa League matches per season, with each participating British team being shown at least once.
As previously reported by TV Sports Markets, BT Sport confirmed that it would charge £5 (€6.96/$7.59) per month for BT broadband subscribers to watch European club football next season, although coverage of football’s English Premier League and Scottish Premier League plus the Premiership, the top division of rugby union in England, will remain free for those customers.
All 351 matches from the Champions League and Europa League will be free for BT TV subscribers as part of the BT Sport Pack, which will comprise BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2, ESPN on BT Sport, and the new BT Sport Europe channel, which will launch on August 1 as the new home of BT Sport’s European football coverage.
The broadcaster’s parent company, telecommunications provider BT, will also give its broadband customers the option of receiving BT Sport 1 for free for a third season in a row.
BT Sport also announced today that it will launch Europe’s first 4K ultra high-definition channel in August, BT Sport Ultra HD, and will also introduce a new BT TV Ultra HD set-top box.