The BBC and ITV will split broadcast rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in the UK per a report in the Telegraph. The other contenders, including Sky Sports and BT Sport, have dropped out of the running.
For ITV, which recently lost rights to the UEFA Champions League but has shown every World Cup since 1966, the news will come as a relief helping to keep the broadcaster in the football business. The BBC, which continues to have highlight rights to the Premier League, has been lauded for its World Cup coverage in the past.
Whether the news is seen as a setback to the growing BT Sport empire remains to be determined. As The Telegraph article speculated, perhaps the World Cup did not fit into BT Sport’s longer range goals.
An announcement could be made before the first kick of the 2014 World Cup on June 12.
In the meantime, the TV schedule for World Cup 2014 for viewers in the United Kingdom has been released. At the same time, check out the sportsbook to bet on soccer.
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