ITV gain rights to continue with Champions League football

Despite losing Formula 1 coverage today, ITV has gained the rights to the final Champions League package available, meaning it will have first pick of the Wednesday night games including the final and the UEFA Super Cup!

Great stuff! So it looks Steve Rider won't be sat twiddling his thumbs! And it will be back on a Wednesday - I've always preferred the games when they used to be shown on a Wednesday, rather than a Tuesday - just feels more of a footballing day! Plus ITV used to get higher ratings on a Wednesday also! This is great news for ITV Sport! Shame about the F1!

I doubt Rider will stay though.

Although it's good the CL will be back on a Wednesday, it's a shame they'll only be showing one game FTA, where as we've had two. Although this news isn't going to please Coronation Street fans, it'll be either ITV squeezing the episode in at 9.30pm or showing it at 8.00pm on a Tuesday which they did for a while.

Who knows? Maybe Corrie will creep back in on Sundays?

To be honest as a Corrie fan it really wouldnt bother me them showing it at 9.30pm on a Wed or even Tuesdays at 8pm (even though that would clash with Holby!). I would welcome it back on Sundays if they got rid of the Friday double episodes (and Monday too although I doubt that will happen after all this time)

I think perhaps a Tuesday at 8pm wouldn't be a bad idea - filling the hour slot with Emmerdale at 7pm and The Bill at 9pm, with probably the Friday 8.30pm edition scrapped instead.


I certainly now favour Corrie moving away from the doubles and at some point having an hour long episode instead as that way it can be much better constructed, rather than half an hour of filler leading up to the cliff-hanger.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7307971.stm

Interesting piece on the BBC's website saying they didnt bid for live rights at any stage.
As for Steve Rider, I think he will stay and front the Champions League, BBC won't welcome him back with open arms!

Interesting excerpt from Times Online... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article3593917.ece



Where would that leave Steve Rider?

Seems a bit fanciful to me, really, after having 'lured' both Mr Rider and Craig Doyle over from the BBC as well. I doubt Adrian Chiles will want to leave his position on the One Show, either, given its success.

No-doubt Adrian would be offered a 5'o Clock show (if he went to ITV), but I doubt he'd leave the BBC.

I think ITV might make another bid to sign Jeff Stelling, I could also see them signing Sheerer from the BBC aswell.

Ah, only just spotted this thread.

So how does this affect STV's ability to opt-out and show their own games then? Specifically as, if I've got this right, ITV now only has the rights to one game on a Wednesday?

There has been no mention of that at all.


However, in theory the old rights allowed for 2 games, with the option for Scotland to show a different game (also shown on Sky), so hopefully a similar arrangement would be in place now.