TV deals in Belgium and Israel

VRT and RTL TVI in Belgium
European football's governing body said in a statement on Friday that following a comprehensive bidding and evaluation process, the main TV rights in Belgium for the three years had been awarded to VRT in the Flemish-speaking part of the country, and to RTL TVI in the French-speaking part. In Israel, the TV rights for the Champions League between 2003 and 2006 have been awarded to JCS.

Live and highlights
The Belgian deal means that both VRT and RTL TVI will transmit their first choice of matches on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, as well as highlights programmes. VRT will also broadcast the Champions League magazine programme at weekends. The magazine programme is sold as a separate package.

Strong commitment
"VRT and RTL TVI are long-term broadcast partners of the UEFA Champions League," said UEFA. "Their strong commitment to the competition is reflected in the impressive viewer ratings achieved by both broadcasters.

Competitive bidding
"The bidding process was highly competitive, with bids received from five different broadcasters. The two successful broadcasters clearly made the most impressive bids for the main live packages on each night and the highlights programmes."

UEFA decision

Israel broadcasts
Meanwhile, the JCS deal in Israel means that all matches in the competition will be shown, either on the Sport5 channel, or through sub-licensing deals to terrestrial networks. "All interested parties in the territory were invited to make proposals and given an equal opportunity to take part in the process," said UEFA. "The bid from JCS was by a considerable margin the best proposal."

Aigner satisfaction
UEFA Chief Executive Gerhard Aigner welcomed the two deals. "The announcement of the sale of the UEFA Champions League TV rights in Belgium and Israel confirms the continued presence of a strong television market interest in football, and in particular in the UEFA Champions League," he said.

Best viewing
"I am sure that these new deals will continue to offer the football fans in these two countries the best viewing of the UEFA Champions League action," added the UEFA CEO.