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BT have announced the purchase of ESPN's main UK and Ireland channels, cutting the options on the table for a future Conference TV deal.
With BT having secured Premier League rights for next season, cutting ESPN out of the deal, both parties were expected to have holes in their football coverage that could have been filled by the Conference. The merging of their rights pools means that BT will have access to the Premier League, FA Cup, Scottish Premier, and German league action next season as well as Europa League coverage.
The sale price of ESPN has not been disclosed, but is rumoured to be less than 10% of the £738million BT paid for Premier League rights last year.
