Broadcaster ‘absolutely gutted’ to be gazumped by Paramount but walked away from international rugby as it seeks to balance the books
It has been a tough couple of weeks for TNT Sports, with the loss of three days of Ashes cricket due to England’s two-day defeat in Perth following on from some bruising rights negotiations.
On the eve of the first Test, the Guardian revealed TNT had lost UK rights to the Champions League to Paramount+, with Sky Sports picking up the decent consolation prize of Europa League rights, while this week it emerged that TNT has also lost the rights to international rugby union with ITV having paid £80m for the inaugural Nations Championship.
Senior figures at TNT are open about being “absolutely gutted” at losing the Champions League, which has been their biggest property since predecessor BT Sport first bought the rights in 2013, but do not regret the level of their bid, which was gazumped by Paramount. The value of the UK rights has increased from £1.2bn to £2.2bn, albeit over four years rather than three, with Paramount paying the lion’s share in a joint deal that gives Amazon Prime the first pick of one exclusive match per round.
“We have a clear business model, and in rights negotiations there is only a certain level we will go to,” a TNT source said. “BT Sport built an incredible business, but their losses were huge and we could not continue to operate in that way.”
