Thu Sep 19 00:12:13 UTC 2024: ## Austrian Public Broadcaster to Show Free UEFA Champions League Highlights
Vienna, Austria – Austrian public-service broadcaster ORF has secured a deal with French pay-TV giant Canal Plus to provide free-to-air highlights of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) this season. The highlights show, “More Football – The Champions League Highlights,” will debut on Thursday, September 19, featuring coverage of Austrian team Red Bull Salzburg’s opening match against Sparta Prague.
This agreement marks the first time two Austrian clubs, Red Bull Salzburg and SK Sturm Graz, will compete in the prestigious UCL. Canal Plus, which holds exclusive rights to the UCL for the next three years, will jointly show the highlights program on Thursdays. The French media group secured rights to Wednesday’s matches and highlights, along with the top game of the week in the Europa League or Conference League.
The UCL highlights show will be produced by Canal Plus in its Auhof studios in Vienna, with ORF providing presenters, analysts, and reporters. Thomas Trukesitz, Canal Plus sports director, praised the collaboration as a “win-win-win situation” for both broadcasters and football fans.
“This is a best practice example of how media companies should cooperate in a small country like Austria,” Trukesitz stated.
While pay-TV broadcaster Sky holds the majority of UCL match rights, Servus TV, the Red Bull-owned commercial network, broadcasts one live match on Thursdays. This new agreement ensures widespread coverage of the UCL in Austria across both pay-TV and FTA for this season.
The UCL enters a new era with its revamped single-league format, featuring an expanded field of 36 teams and 189 matches. ORF’s deal further solidifies its commitment to providing comprehensive coverage of major sporting events, as it previously secured exclusive rights to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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