BBC Wins Rights to Football League

The BBC will screen live Football League matches from 2009 for the first time since the foundation of the Premier League after striking a joint deal with Sky that will bring 10 live Championship matches a year and the Carling Cup final to terrestrial television.

The three-year deal worth £264m is a major boost for the Football League, which has more than doubled its TV rights revenue and will enjoy the increased exposure brought by terrestrial coverage. Sky will screen 65 exclusively live league matches every year, the play-offs including all three finals, the first five rounds of the Carling Cup and the Johnstone's Paints Trophy.

As well as the Carling Cup final the BBC will also have live coverage of one leg from each of the semi-finals, and show a weekly Football League highlights program. The corporation has also secured broadband rights which it will promote via its regional website network.

For the BBC the deal helps fill the yawning gap in its sports schedules left by the loss of England and FA Cup football to Setanta and ITV. It does however appear to go against the corporation's stated aim of focusing solely on "crown jewel" events in the sporting schedule.

The Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney said: "We are delighted to be continuing our strong partnership with Sky Sports and are excited by the prospect of working closely with the BBC. I am grateful to them both for their recognition of the value that the Football League brings to the football marketplace.

"Over the last few years the League's standing has been enhanced, both commercially and competitively, as we have delivered real football for real fans. This deal recognizes that fact: £88m a year coupled with unparalleled coverage on Sky and the BBC will provide a fantastic boost to Football League clubs and their supporters."

Vic Wakeling, the managing director of Sky Sports, said: "We shall be covering at least 95 live matches each season from all Football League competitions - including all the play-off semis and finals - under this new agreement, and are delighted to be so deeply involved yet again in a competition which continues to attract a growing audience at every level. The fans love what they see, and so do we."

Roger Mosey, director of BBC Sport, added: "We're delighted to be entering a partnership with the Football League. This adds to our football portfolio of Match of the Day, Euro 2008 and the World Cups of 2010 and 2014. The agreement is a terrific development in the way we work with Football League clubs across England and Wales - bringing fans the best action across our range of services."