BT Sport pays £1.2bn for exclusive Champions League rights

Deal could mean end of free-to-air European football as broadcaster beats Sky and steals highlights from ITV

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(Image credit: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

BT Sport has agreed a new £1.18bn deal with Uefa to retain the rights to broadcast Champions League and Europa League football until 2021.

The three-year deal will cost £394m a year, up from £299m a year, and could see the end of free-to-air European football as the broadcaster has paid for exclusive rights, which means ITV will no longer show match highlights while BT is expected to ditch its Showcase channel on Freeview.

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