Quote: bramleyrhino "The Champions League deal will be great news for the Football League, as Sky will most likely use this (if anything) to fill the gap. Football League games happen on Champions League match nights anyway, so it is an easy option for both Sky and the FL.
I don't know where people have got this idea that ITV have suddenly gained an interest in rugby league. They've not shown any interest previously.'"
If anything, ITV will look to squander their millions on Aviva Premiership games given that they already have the highlights.
Next bidding war will be in the Union. If Sky lose Union then it will be interesting to see if they hold on to league by pumping money in; or whether they'll just try and blow competition out the water by offering a ridiculous TV deal to other sports to try and keep a stranglehold on their rights.
I'd quite like BT to put in a bid, just to drive up the price even if they have no real interest in the rights.
Would it be worth the RFL splitting up games into blocks like the Premier League do with their TV rights? Get individual networks bidding on packages. Split up all the big games and mix them in with some less attractive games to make all packages worth bidding for and one play-off game, then have one specifically for derby games, then have one for Magic Weekend games.