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UK: Virgin Media urges Ofcom to pause auction of Premier League live TV rights

By  |  January 28, 2015

The Premier League has insisted there is no legal basis to halt its sale of domestic TV rights for the 2016-19 seasons after Virgin Media asked broadcast regulator Ofcom to delay the auction.

The Premier League issued invitations to tender (ITT) in December for the broadcast rights for three seasons starting in August 2016 with 168 live matches available.

The sale of the rights is due to be completed in early February but Virgin Media wants the outcome delayed until Ofcom has finished its investigation into the complaint lodged by the media company last year. Virgin claimed the way matches are currently sold breached competition law, and that too few matches are made available for broadcast.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “Virgin Media has today made an application for interim measures, which we must now review. We aim to reach a decision in a matter of days.”

Full Content: BBC News

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