ITV & Sky Sports Secures Rights to England Matches for Euro 2016 & 2018 World Cup

ITV and Sky Sports have secured the broadcast rights to England’s international football matches for the Euro 2016 and 2018 World Cup qualifying competitions.

ITV will show home and abroad matches for the Euro 2016 and 2018 World Cup qualifying competitions.

The agreement continues and expands the channel’s commitment to showing live, free-to-air coverage of the England football team. It is the first time in recent years a single broadcaster will show all of England’s qualifying games for consecutive major tournaments. ITV has held the rights to show exclusively all England’s home games since 2008 as well as, since 2009, the team’s friendly matches both at home and away.

Today’s deal also includes the rights to broadcast 20 non-home nation qualifying games for ITV4.

Peter Fincham, ITV Director of Television, said: “Bringing viewers exclusive live coverage of each key England international match is hugely important to ITV and means football fans will be able to watch for free England’s progress both at home and abroad as they attempt to qualify for the final stages of these tournaments.”

ITV currently has exclusive rights to show live England’s remaining qualifying matches for the 2014 World Cup, the FA Cup and is the exclusive free to air broadcaster for the Champions League in the UK.

Sky Sports on the other hand has been awarded the rights to Home Nations and Republic of Ireland qualification matches for UEFA EURO 2016 and 2018 FIFA World Cup.

They will provide highlights of England qualifying matches and live away matches should England play other Home Nations. The other Home Nations’ matches will be exclusively live on Sky Sports.

Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis said: “Both the UEFA European Championship and FIFA World Cup are football’s most important international tournaments and this deal offers Sky Sports viewers the complete qualification story.  We’ve been broadcasting international football since the beginning of Sky Sports and this deal means our viewers can enjoy watching some of the best players and nations over the next four years.

“There has never been a better time to be a Sky Sports subscriber, with an unrivalled breadth of sport offered across six different channels.  This year our viewers can enjoy The British & Irish Lions Tour, back-to-back Ashes Series, the ICC Champions Trophy, every race live in the F1 season, Super League, US Open & US PGA Golf, Andy Murray defending his US Open title and of course our biggest ever season of football.”

Sky Sports has also won the rights to broadcast all 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship matches exclusively live, adding to this summer’s exciting schedule of sport. The tournament, which features Europe’s brightest young stars from England and seven other nations, kicks off on 5 June. Taking place in Israel, coverage will include all group matches, both semi-finals the Final on 18 June.