The BBC and ITV have announced a new partnership with the European football governing body, UEFA. As per the deal, both media outlets will be broadcasting the UEFA Euro 2024 and UEFA Euro 2028.
The pair will distribute games until a shared final, dividing the rights to each competition fairly.
This agreement preserves free-to-air coverage of the men’s UEFA European Championships and follows the format established by prior UEFA Euro editions and FIFA World Cups, in addition to the forthcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director of UEFA, stated, “We are very pleased to continue our partnership with ITV and the BBC. Each partner brings in-depth knowledge and expertise to the broadcasting of the UEFA European Football Championship and we look forward to the extensive and excellent coverage for the fans across the UK.”
The tournament in 2024 will feature 24 teams competing all over 51 matches in Germany, with the hosts and format for UEFA Euro 2028 yet to be announced.
Director of BBC Sport, Barbara Slater, said, “The BBC has proven time and again that we have the ability to bring the biggest sporting events to the widest audience. The previous UEFA European Championships were a huge success so we’re delighted that we’ve completed this deal for the next two tournaments that we hope will provide even more memorable moments for viewers.”
The Olympic Games, FA Cup, Women’s Super League, Wimbledon Championships, the Six Nations, and Match of the Day are also part of the BBC’s sports broadcasting portfolio.
Niall Sloane, ITV’s Director of Sport, commented, “This deal keeps the Euros available on free-to-air television for viewers for the coming years. Having delivered the biggest ever UK single channel football audience of 27.6 million at last year’s Euros, for England’s semi-final victory over Denmark, we’re looking forward to bringing to the widest audiences the very best coverage of tournaments that have such broad appeal.”
ITV also inked a media renewal deal to broadcast the World Snooker Tour (WST). The Champion of Champions, World Grand Prix, Players Championship, Tour Championship, and British Open will also be televised by the channel until 2024.