Heineken Cup fear as English clubs sign exclusive TV deal

By DUNCAN BECH
Published on 13/09/2012 03:14

EUROPEAN rugby was yesterday plunged into disarray following an announcement by English clubs that they had agreed a separate TV deal with BT.

The future of the Heineken Cup is now the subject of renewed doubt after BT secured exclusive live broadcast rights to games played by Aviva Premiership teams in Europe from 2014 for three years.

It is a provocative move by Premiership Rugby designed to force the hand of ERC, who run the Heineken Cup, which also pressurises the competition’s current broadcaster Sky.

The English and French clubs are in dispute with ERC over the structure of the northern hemisphere’s greatest club tournament, threatening to set up an alternative when the current agreement ends in 2014 if their demands are not met.

Their chief concern is a qualification structure that favours teams from the RaboDirect PRO 12 and qualifying will be the central talking point when ERC stakeholders meet in Dublin next Tuesday.

ERC reacted to yesterday’s developments by issuing a statement claiming the deal with BT is “in breach both of IRB regulations and of a mandate from the ERC board itself”.

“European club rugby’s six participant Unions have granted the authority to sell broadcast rights to its tournaments solely to ERC,” read the statement. “It was unanimously agreed at an ERC board meeting on 6 June, 2012 that ERC would conclude a new four-year agreement with Sky Sports for the UK and Ireland exclusive live broadcast rights to the Heineken Cup and the Amlin Challenge Cup until 2018. Premiership Rugby was party to that decision.

“ERC remains determined to honour its own commercial commitments and to continue its work to further develop the European club game.”

Sky indicated that they were unwilling to concede any ground in the battle of the broadcasters by swiftly announcing confirmation of their agreement with ERC.

The contract with BT, which also includes exclusive live coverage of the Premiership for four years from next season, is worth up to £152 million, a figure that will clearly adjust on the basis of what is agreed over the coming weeks.

“This is an outstanding deal to support the continued development of Premiership Rugby and, in addition, the value of the European element from our clubs’ rights will serve to help strengthen European rugby in its future competitions,” Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty said.

“Although the exact format of European competitions post 2014 is not yet agreed between the parties in Europe, this deal will certainly strengthen European club rugby for all parties.”

How much Premiership Rugby’s position will anger fellow ERC stakeholders when they meet next week remains to be seen. The true strength of French support for their stance has also yet to be gauged, as has the identity of the nations involved in a possible rival competition to the Heineken Cup.

As part of the deal announced yesterday, BT said that it would show up to 69 Aviva Premiership matches and the JP Morgan Asset Management Sevens from the 2013/14 season. It will also show matches played by premiership clubs in European competitions for three years from 2014/15.

The telecoms group is seeking to use live sporting action to increase take-up of BT Vision, which has 728,000 subscribers. In June it agreed a to share English Premier League football games with BSkyB from next year in a three-year deal costing the two companies £3 billion.