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UEFA has completed media rights deals in China for both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League for the seasons 2009-12.

Major package
CCTV, the Chinese public broadcaster, has been awarded a major package of UEFA Champions League rights. Under the terms of the deal, free-to-air channel CCTV 5 will broadcast at least one live match and a highlights programme on every UEFA Champions League matchnight as well as at least one delayed match every matchweek and the UEFA Super Cup. Coverage of the UEFA Champions League on CCTV 5 will be available to over 350 million homes throughout China. In addition, all live matches from the UEFA Champions League will be available on the internet via www.cctv.com and on mobile via the CCTV mobile portal cctvsports.net.

Exclusive rights
ESPN STAR Sports has been awarded exclusive English language pay rights in China for both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. ESPN STAR Sports will show at least one live match each matchnight from both competitions hereby complementing the comprehensive free-to-air coverage provided by NMTV, as per the XFMedia deal announced last month.

Massive exposure
"We are delighted to enhance our partnership with CCTV in China with a new deal that guarantees increased coverage and massive exposure for the UEFA Champions League in the world's most populous nation," said UEFA General Secretary David Taylor. "We believe that CCTV will do an excellent job of bringing this wonderful competition to football fans throughout the country.

Long-standing relationship
"At the same time, UEFA is extremely happy that its longstanding relationship with ESPN STAR Sports in China is set to continue," Mr Taylor added. "For many years ESPN STAR Sports has excelled as a broadcast partner of UEFA and we look forward to working together in the future, not only on the UEFA Champions League but also for the first time in China, on the UEFA Europa League."

(Source: uefa.com)