The telecoms titan splurged £897m for three years of exclusive live broadcasting rights to the Champions League and Europa League. At £299m a season, that's more than double the amount paid by previous owners Sky (SKY) and ITV (ITV). Our chart shows the sharp rise in BT's programming rights expenses since the launch of its BT Sport television channel in the summer of 2013.
Given BT has invested so much, it may seem odd for it to broadcast one of its biggest fixtures for free. But a potentially huge audience should attract the highest-paying sponsors and advertisers and raise awareness of BT's coverage, attracting subscribers to its various services.
The decision may be a bid to boost viewing figures: 39 of BT's matches drew peak audiences of 1m in the latest football season, and a Europa League clash between Liverpool and Manchester United attracted a record 2m viewers. That compares with ITV's average audience of 4.4m people for group-stage matches of the Champions League last season.
Nonetheless, BT won't be too worried. BT Sport's audience swelled by 45 per cent between August 2015 and end-March 2016, propelling the total number of TV customers in the year up 28 per cent to 1.5m. Sporting content also helped to lift BT's average revenue per consumer by 7 per cent last financial year. Given BT's strong progress, investors can relax and enjoy the match.
