Digital broadcaster Sport1 has secured the exclusive live rights to the English Football League Championship and League Cup for a period of three years. Together with the existing exclusive English football rights, including the Premier League and the FA Cup, Sport1 now has the broadest possible offer of live matches for lovers of English football. Sport1 has also extended its current rights to broadcast the top matches from the Scottish Premier League until the end of the 2008/09 season.

Sport1 shall offer up to 38 live matches per season from ‘The Championship’ and up to 12 live matches from ‘The League Cup’. The Championship is regarded by football lovers as one of Europe’s most competitive and least commercially dominated football leagues. The Championship is the second tier of English football after the Premier League. At the end of the season the top two teams gain automatic promotion to the Premier League with the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th placed teams competing in the play-offs for the final Premier League place. The Play-off final is now established as one of the highlights of the English football season and is the richest one-off club match in any sport worldwide.

Chris Guinness, President of Octagon CSI has commented: “I’m delighted that Octagon CSI has been able to facilitate the coverage of these prestigious footballing competitions into the Netherlands. For the first time, the Dutch now have access to the best First Division League in global football and Europe’s premier League Cup competition and fans can keep abreast of the careers of such big named players as Arjen Robben and Edwin Van Der Sar”.

With the acquisition of these rights Sport1 completes its offer of English football and now provides football lovers with the following live matches every season:
• The FA Premier League (370 matches)
• The FA Cup (25 matches)
• The Championship (up to 38 matches)
• The League Cup (up to 12 matches)

Through the use of up to 7 digital windows, Sport1 is able to transmit simultaneous matches live. As a result of this, Sport1 has the potential to broadcast 445 live English matches each season (approx. 10 per week), with viewers having the opportunity to select the most interesting matches themselves.

In addition next season, Sport1 will again broadcast live, the ‘Old Firm’ clashes between Glasgow’s arch rivals, Celtic and Rangers.

Sport1

Sport1 is a Pay TV operator of chellomedia, the European content and digital services division of Liberty Global, Inc. Sport1 is a 24-hour sports channel with a wide range of live sports programs. The channel offers up to eight simultaneous sports channels, enabling viewers to decide for themselves which match to follow. Sport1’s program selection comprises all major European soccer leagues as well as the UEFA Champions League, the English FA Cup and the Copa Libertadores. Further viewing includes field hockey, basketball, baseball, darts, golf and tennis. As of June, Sport1 is also offering an extra HDTV channel at no extra cost. Viewers can receive Sport1 by subscribing at a cable company or provider of satellite television.
Website: http://www.sport1.nl/

Contact details

For additional information and photos/screenshots please contact:
chellomedia Communications
Michiel Gosens
Tel. +31-20-778 9684