BT Sport "continues to invest in its football coverage ahead of the new Premier League season starting next month," according to Arif Durrani of MEDIA WEEK. Former ManU and England player Paul Scholes "has signed a four-year deal to become a pundit for BT Sport." BT Sport also "extended its deal as an official partner" of Arsenal -- now in its second year -- for a further two years. The partnership "enables BT Sport to continue to promote its football
coverage through Arsenal’s own digital channels" in the U.K. and Ireland. The advertising campaign for BT Sport’s upcoming season will continue
on Thursday, "when press and TV ads will depict Arsenal’s
triumph in the FA Cup last season." It has been created by Abbott Mead
Vickers BBDO with media planning and buying by Maxus. BT Sport "has also signed a deal for up to four exclusively live
matches a week from the Portuguese Primeira Liga, taking the channel's
total to six European leagues." The Portuguese rights include live home and away matches played by
the league’s "Big Three" teams, current league champions Benfica, Porto
FC and Sporting Lisbon. For the '14-15 season, BT Sport "will also show live matches" from the Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A and the Scottish
Professional Football League (MEDIA WEEK, 7/29). In London, Samuel Stevens wrote Scholes "will join the digital channel's panel of analysts for Premier League fixtures." BT also revealed that "the two-time Champions League winner will cover the European competition" from the '15-16 season onward when the rights are transferred from Sky Sports. He "is expected to work for ITV Sport in a similar role" (INDEPENDENT, 7/29).
