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SCMP Reporter

Soccer fans will have to switch to Cable TV from next year to watch Europe's top clubs battle it out in the continent's premier competition - the UEFA Champions League.
Pay-TV operator I-Cable Communications has scored a coup over its main rival, PCCW's Now TV, by securing exclusive media rights to the Champions League  matches  for three seasons, starting from 2009-10.
I-Cable announced the deal yesterday. It will also continue broadcasting second-tier competition in the UEFA Cup in Hong Kong.
Now TV has broadcast UEFA Champions League matches on its ESPN and Star Sports channels since September 2005. The rights to these matches will expire in May next year.
A PCCW spokesman  said: 'ESPN submitted the bid for the UEFA Champions League for the three seasons starting September 2009, but PCCW did not submit a bid. We are disappointed that our partner failed to win the bid.'
Under the new agreement, Cable TV, which is a subsidiary of i-Cable Communications, will increase the number of matches it broadcasts from the two European club  competitions.
'Total matches for both tournaments are around 350 per year. We have channel capacity to broadcast all matches to our subscribers,' said Musetta Wu, vice-president of i-Cable  Sports.
She added: 'The UEFA Champions League is much more attractive than the English Premier League, as football fans can watch all the best teams from Europe in the tournament.'
I-Cable said it would show  matches not only to pay-TV viewers, but also to computer and mobile-phone users.
Ms Wu said it was the first time the Champions League media-rights holder had sold the rights for individual markets.
When ESPN secured its current broadcast deal for the matches, it bid to show them across the region, including Hong Kong and Singapore.



Cable TV wins exclusive rights for top European soccer