BT has made further inroads into live TV sport, signing a £152m deal for the exclusive UK rights to Aviva Premiership rugby union, which is currently broadcast by rivals BSkyB and ESPN.
The deal will see up to 69 live Aviva Premiership matches per season shown exclusively by BT Vision from next year, when the telecoms company will also begin broadcasting live Premier League football for the first time.
Under the deal with Premership Rugby, the umbrella organisation of the Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs, BT will also have live broadcast rights to the JP Morgan Asset Management Sevens competition from the 2013-14 season and any future European games featuring Aviva Premiership clubs from 2014-15.
The announcement comes just three months after BT won the rights for 32 Premier League games per season for three years from 2012/13. The telecoms giant paid a bumper £738m for the package, which it will put out to tender for production later this year.
BT, which owns the BT Vision broadband subscription service, has already said it plans to launch a sports channel to broadcast live Premier League matches.
The company is in early stage talks with ITV and others about a potential partnership to produce its Premier League coverage.
BT said it would look to distribute its live rugby coverage to a variety of platforms, as with its Premier League rights.
Mark McCafferty, chief executive of Premiership Rugby, described the deal as game-changing for the sport.
Marc Watson, BT Vision chief executive, added: "BT is serious about sport and this deal means we will be offering the very best rugby action alongside some of the most thrilling football matches from the Premier League. That is a winning combination and one that will appeal to fans of both sports."
source: guardian.co.uk/media/2012/sep/12/bt-tv-rights-live-rugby
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