UEFA Champions League: “Champions TV” on Free-TV on Sat. 1

[BGonaSTICK]

Premiere has a new free-TV partner for the live broadcast of the UEFA Champions League. Starting in September, the football format “Champions TV,” which is produced by Premiere, will be shown live and unencrypted on Sat.1. Premiere and Sat.1 agreed on a strategic cooperation for the two upcoming UEFA Champions League seasons, extending until June 2009. On Wednesdays, “Champions TV” will present the top match from the UEFA Champions League.

“Champions TV” is produced solely by Premiere. Premiere host Sebastian Hellmann will present the programs; experienced and well-established Premiere reporters will comment on the games. Broadcasting on the new free-TV partner Sat.1 will increase the reach of “Champions TV” to 97.8 percent of all German television households.

Premiere CEO Dr. Georg Kofler: “‘Champions TV’ is a great showcase for the quality of the Premiere sports desk and the Premiere programming in general. ‘Champions TV’ viewers will have a front seat from which to experience Premiere – which is sure to whet their appetite for more. After a promising test run in April, we’re expecting our excellent sports coverage to be presented to an even wider audience by airing ‘Champions TV’ on Sat. 1. Moreover, the new contract significantly improves the exploitation of our free-TV rights to the UEFA Champions League without compromising the clear exclusivity in pay TV. Premiere will continue to be the only channel where viewers can see all Champions League games, the exciting live highlights show, the comprehensive run-down of all games, and live streaming on the Internet. In fact, Tuesday matches will be reserved exclusively for Premiere customers.”

In August 2005 Premiere AG acquired all live broadcast rights (free-to-air and pay TV) to UEFA Champions League matches from the 2006/2007 to the 2008/2009 seasons. Premiere is the only TV channel to present all 125 UEFA Champions League games live in Germany and Austria. In addition, Premiere owns comprehensive television rights for the run-down following the live broadcasts of Europe’s top football league. The UEFA Champions League is the most important international football championship for club teams. The winner is determined in a total of 125 group and knock-out matches.

Source: Premiere