Net boost for European football

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From next year, top European football matches will have to be shown on the internet at the same time as they are televised live, UEFA has ruled.

The body governing European football also specified that they will have to be shown by the same broadcaster. In a £83m-a-year deal on UK coverage of the Champions League to be announced soon, BSkyB and ITV are expected to have their existing contracts renewed to share rights to broadcast games live, with the added obligations.

The condition applies to the rights to televise Champions League games in the UK for the three seasons between 2006 and 2009.  In the past, Uefa has allowed clubs to show delayed Champions League coverage and highlights online, but has never allowed live football to be broadcast online.

Media analysts say Uefa has bowed to European Commission directives to encourage more people to use the internet. They add that the move opens up potential new revenue streams with advertising and betting partners. But the broadcasters will have to ensure that only UK viewers can watch the games online. "It will be another significant step in the development of TV over the internet, which is gathering pace as companies such as BT, the BBC and Channel 4 work towards distributing TV content over broadband," the Brand Republic website commented.

"The development is also significant for handing online sports rights to broadcasters, rather than the leading clubs, which make money by selling highlights packages via their own websites, but have never been given live rights by Uefa."