Foxtel has secured a deal with Al Jazeera's sports arm beIN Sports to offer subscribers live coverage of Europe's premier football leagues, including the Champions League.
The deal will help soften the blow of losing the English Premier League rights to rival Optus.
Foxtel will launch three beIN Sports channels on May 15, just in time for the final of Europe's second-tier competition, the Europa League, which features teams including Liverpool and Borrusia Dortmund. Viewers will also be able to watch the Champions League final on 29 May Australian time.
beIN Sports also has coverage of other top football leagues in Europe, including Spain's La Liga, France's Ligue 1, Italy's Serie A and Germany's Bundesliga. It also shows European rugby, including the Six Nations.
Although the Premier League is the world's most popular football league, the Champions League and top clubs in La Liga are widely followed and should attract solid interest in Australia.
At present, Foxtel subscribers can watch one beIN Sports channel for a $20 per month fee, but when the new channels launch it will come free with Foxtel's sports pack.
"The channels will be compulsory viewing for fans of international football and rugby and complement the already great line-up of sports channels on Foxtel," outgoing Foxtel CEO Richard Freudenstein says.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.