ESPN Gets Caribbean Rights to Euro 2012 & 2016

Caribbean football fans will have a chance to watch one of the world’s most important football competitions as ESPN International has secured the rights to distribute the UEFA European Football Championship for 2012 & 2016 in the region. 

The rights are part of ESPN’s broad multimedia rights agreement with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for the UEFA European Football Championships until 2017. 

The UEFA European Football Championship 2012 will air on the ESPN Caribbean and ESPN2 Caribbean networks, symptoms and on ESPNPlay, no rx the recently launched broadband player servicing the region. 

Coverage will include all 31 UEFA EURO 2012 matches from Poland and Ukraine, from Friday, June 8 to Sunday, July 1, featuring the top 16 European national teams, including England, Spain, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. 

Additional coverage will include pre-match, half-time and post-match programming, news and highlights shows on match days, unlimited re-air rights across all networks and media platforms, magazine programs, and more.  

Four years later, the field will expand to 24 teams and ESPN International will present in the Caribbean all 51 matches of the 2016 UEFA European Football Championship in from France.  

The distribution agreement extends ESPN’s relationship in the Caribbean with UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, and includes airing on cruise ships sailing in the region; ESPN announced the extension of its agreement with UEFA for rights in the United States recently.  

ESPN, the sports media company, served as the U.S. and Caribbean television and U.S. digital home of the UEFA EURO 2008 and earned much praise for its coverage. 

“The continuation of ESPN’s relationship with UEFA confirms ESPN’s place as the home of highest quality soccer programming,” said Michael Walters, vice president, international programming. 

“UEFA is part of ESPN’s line-up of premier soccer properties from around the world presented to our viewers in the Caribbean, including the Premier League in England, La Liga in Spain, German Bundesliga, and Brazil’s National and Paulista championships.”

by Ismail Uddin