BT Sport has extended its £35M ($58M)-plus annual contract "to produce its live coverage of Premier League football and rugby union matches with Sunset+Vine" until '18, according to Mark Sweney of the London GUARDIAN. Sunset+Vine, which landed an initial £100M to £132M three-year deal with BT in '12, "has won a two-year extension for what is considered the biggest live broadcasting contract in British television." The deal "also covers BT’s rugby union rights, including the English Premiership and European Cup matches, and the Europa League" although only for the '15-16 season. Sunset+Vine Chair Jeff Foulser said, "The original contract with BT Sport was transformational for Sunset+Vine’s business and this extension is a real vote of confidence" (GUARDIAN, 8/19). In London, Christopher Williams wrote this season, for the first time, BT is producing "some of its own football coverage, sending in-house teams to Champions League matches." Preparations for the expansion of BT Sport into production "sparked speculation that the company would scrap its deal with Sunset+Vine, but the contract extension secures the relationship" (TELEGRAPH, 8/18).
