UK commercial broadcaster ITV and pay-television broadcaster Sky are set to acquire rights to the latest package of football rights for the England national team offered by European governing body Uefa, according to the Daily Mail newspaper.
The agreements will bring an end to a long-running process following the initial launch of a tender in November 2015. The CAA Eleven agency launched a tender in the UK for rights to the European Qualifiers for the Euro 2020 and 2022 Fifa World Cup national team tournaments, the 2018-19 and 2020-21 Nations League competitions and other international matches. The deadline for UK bids for the rights had been set at December 8, 2015.
The Daily Mail said the new agreement, which has been centrally negotiated by Uefa through CAA Eleven, will result in ITV showing 24 matches in the four-year cycle from 2018.
Sky will reportedly have 16 games, mainly in the new Nations League. The Nations League received the unanimous backing of all 54 Uefa member associations at a meeting of European football’s governing body in March 2014. The competition is designed to enhance the attractiveness of national team friendlies and will replace a number of windows set aside for such games.
The Daily Mail said the deal will be worth more than £45m (€52.8m/$55.3m) per year to the English Football Association, around twice the minimum guarantee agreed when Uefa started its centralised sales strategy in 2013.