BBC to bid for Champions League

The BBC is poised today to make a multi-million pound bid for the rights to screen Champions League matches after the Government indicated it will not stand in its way.

If the BBC is successful, it could spark a row over the advertising associated with the hugely popular European tournament.

The corporation has claimed its rules will not be broken by the tournament's advertising requirements, but critics claim this will be another example of rampant commercialism under director-general Greg Dyke.

The advertising breaks during Champions League games, which attracted an average audience of seven million viewers, are the most expensive on ITV.

But the BBC is confident it can keep sponsors happy and guarantee some exposure of their logos during match coverage. With the deadline for bids from British broadcasters due to close today, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has poured cold water on a request from rival bidders ITV to intervene.

ITV wrote to Ms Jowell last week claiming the BBC was preparing to bend its rules on advertising to win the three-year contract which starts in September 2003.

In a letter from ITV's joint managing directors Mick Desmond and Clive Jones, the broadcaster claimed the BBC would try to get round the competition's advertising criteria by allowing Uefa's sponsors to display their logos during its coverage. ITV, which currently has the £250million contract for the competition, also claimed the BBC was preparing to spend extra money on Uefa's backers to make up for their loss of advertising time on the commercial channel. But a spokesman for Ms Jowell said today that the issue was entirely a matter for the governors of the BBC.

Uefa is hoping to match the sum ITV paid for the four-year contract in 1999. It is selling the rights differently this time, breaking them up into four main packages - Tuesday and Wednesday live games and Tuesday and Wednesday highlights. ITV and Sky are thought to be preparing a joint bid for all four packages while the BBC is aiming for at least one of the two live deals.

No decision is expected until November.

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