UK pay-television broadcaster Sky and commercial broadcaster ITV are set to acquire rights to the latest package of national team football rights offered by European governing body Uefa, according to reports.
The CAA Eleven agency in November 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.
The Telegraph said rights for the new Nations League are close to being awarded to Sky in a move that would end the free-to-air status of England matches. The newspaper added that ITV is set to retain England’s qualifiers for the World Cup and European Championship until 2022. However, it will reportedly only be able to show highlights of the Nations League, the first time live coverage of an entire senior international tournament would be removed from terrestrial television.
The Telegraph said ITV and Sky will pay a combined £200m (€272m/$294m) for the rights to England matches between 2018 and 2022, double the value of the current deal. It added that Sky is also expected to retain the exclusive rights to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup and European Championship qualifying games until 2022.
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.