Being a Celtic fan is getting more and more expensive.
And that’s not just because of the club’s pricing of food and merchandise, which is bound to be a hot topic at Friday’s AGM.
If Celtic fans wanted to watch all of their team’s televised fixtures in 2024-25, they would’ve needed subscriptions to Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Premier Sports and Amazon Prime – four broadcasters for one season. Things are getting out of hand.
The Hoops may have failed to qualify for the Champions League this season, but they have been in it fairly regularly over the last two decades.
BT Sport bought the TV rights in 2015, and rebranded as TNT a few years ago. But those rights are reportedly no more.
TNT Sports lose broadcast rights for Champions League games
Prior to BT/TNT coming along, Sky was the home of the Champions League, sharing the coverage with ITV.
Hoops fans will remember Ian Crocker, Clive Tyldesley and Bill Leslie commentating on famous nights at Celtic Park.
READ MORE: When Celtic had Ireland hero Troy Parrott on trial and why he rejected them for Spurs
But it surprisingly won’t be Sky taking over from TNT – instead, UK Sports broadcasting looks to have another new face on the block.
According to The Times, Paramount+ are reportedly in ‘pole position’ to take over from TNT, who have lost the rights to show Europe’s premier competition from 2027.
Paramount owns CBS Sports, the Champions League broadcaster of the USA.
Their coverage there has been award-winning – you’ve probably seen viral clips of Jamie Carragher, Thierry Henry, Micah Richards and Kate Abdo working for the American broadcaster.
The report doesn’t mention the Europa League or Conference League, but Paramount do currently hold the rights to also show those competitions in the US.
The news is a major blow for TNT, who are now left with only Premier League and FA Cup games on offer to UK sports fans. Many Celtic observers could do without that.
Without naming their names, there are certainly a few TNT pundits who won’t be missed…
Celtic broadcasting rights in the UK
BT Sport used to hold rights to Scottish Premiership matches, generally being well-received by fans in the country.
But Sky Sports gained exclusive rights for the league starting from the 2020-21 season, and we have since seen the rise of Premier Sports.
Premier are the rights holders for Champions League matches in the Republic of Ireland, but seem to focus on the Scottish football market in the UK.
And that’s not even mentioning Celtic TV…
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