BT net new football deal
But £1.2bn outlay raises price hike fear
TELECOMS giants BT have been forced to shell out £300million extra to net the TV rights to European football for another three years.
They are believed to have fought off a rival bid from Sky to secure the rights to Champions League and Europa League games until 2021.
But the near £1.2billion outlay is up from the £897million under the current three-year deal.
BT insisted it was a good deal, with the new contract giving them the right to show highlights and more games.
However, it has led to concerns that BT will claw the money back through price increases.
They are already imposing inflationbusting price rises for broadband and calls next month, and will start charging customers who were getting BT Sport for free £3.50 a month instead.
John Petter, head of BT’s consumer arm, said next month’s increases were “absolutely not” linked to their current outlay on European football.
Petter said he would be “crazy” to rule out price rises because of the new contract but insisted that more games would allow them to bring in extra income from advertising.
The deal includes UEFA Champions League “double header” nights, with live matches kicking off at both 6pm and 8pm during the group stage.
Petter reckons this will be a boost to pubs and clubs, attracting more customers, but hinted that prices could go up as a result.
The deal will mean Champions League highlights will no longer be shown on ITV.
BT said they are coming up with plans to show them via social media, making it possible that games could be screened on YouTube or Facebook.