Euro 2016 rights deal secured in Russia – report

Russian free-to-air broadcasters Channel One and Russia-1 will share rights to the Uefa Euro 2016 national team football tournament with new sports television platform Match TV, according to Sovsport.ru.

The website said terms have been agreed over a deal with CAA Eleven, the sales agency of European football’s governing body Uefa.

The contract is reportedly worth around €30m ($32.5m) and will result in Channel One and Russia-1 broadcasting the pick of the games, including those featuring the Russian national team.

Under a sublicensing deal with Channel One and Russia-1, Match TV will broadcast the remainder of the matches in addition to a host of additional programming.

The agreement comes after Russian Football Union president Vitaly Mutko said in October that a deal had been agreed for broadcast rights in the country to Euro 2016. Russia has proved a problem market for Uefa and CAA Eleven in terms of the rights to the European Qualifiers for Euro 2016, as well as the finals which will be held in France next year.

Russia has been drawn against England, Slovakia and Wales, with its Group B campaign set to commence against England in Marseille on June 11.