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UEFA rebuffed BSkyB’s Champions League pleas after granting exclusivity to BT

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By John Glenday, Reporter

November 12, 2013 | 2 min read

Fresh detail has emerged of behind the scenes wrangling during the bid process for Champions League broadcast rights, with BSkyB mounting a last ditch desperate attempt to persuade officials to reopen discussions three days after BT entered into exclusive negotiations.

That attempt ultimately proved fruitless as BT secured the rights in a three year deal valued at £900m, sending shares in the satellite broadcaster diving by around 10 per cent or £1.3bn.

According to The Telegraph rattled BSkyB executives lobbied UEFA to revive negotiations after they were knocked out in the first round of bidding by the huge BT bid.

BT’s strategy centred on knocking out its chief competitor in the first round, thus preventing it from returning with an enhanced offer which risked exceeding BT’s own.

This followed an earlier square-off over Premier League rights which saw BSkyB walk away with five of seven Premier League packages and leaving BT to make do with the remaining two.

It seems fortune favours the brave in this instance with BT’s share closing slightly up as their rivals nosedived in light of the news.

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