Norwegian basic-tier and pay-television broadcaster TV2 has acquired rights for England national team matches and English club football matches from the FA Cup, second-tier league the Championship, the League Cup and the pre-season Community Shield match.
The rights were acquired in a deal with the Pitch International agency. The deal is for one season, 2012-13, with an option to extend for up to five further seasons, TV2 told Norwegian news website Kampanje.
TV2 distribution director Øivind Johannessen said: “We know that there is a great interest in English football in Norway, not just around the Premier League teams, but also around many teams in other divisions.” Norwegians featuring in the Championship include Wolverhamption Wanderers manager Ståle Solbakken and Blackburn Rovers player Morten Gamst Pedersen.
Pitch has a six-year deal, from 2012-13 to 2017-18, with the English FA to sell the rights in Western Europe, including Scandinavia, for the FA Cup, England home international matches and the Community Shield. The agency is selling the global rights for the English Football League – which operates the Championship and the League Cup – in the cycle beginning in 2012-13.