BT Sport’s football anchor Jake Humphrey has extended his contract with the broadcaster.
The Peterborough-born presenter will continue hosting BT’s Premier League and FA Cup coverage and will also front the broadcaster’s exclusive Champions League and Europa League nights too, which will begin at the start of the 2015/16 season.
Former BBC presenter Humphrey has worked on BT Sport for the last two years, and served as one of the founding faces of the channel, alongside former England international Rio Ferdinand, rugby star Lawrence Dallaglio and Claire Balding.
Related: How can I watch BT Sport on Sky, Virgin Media, Freeview, TalkTalk TV and YouView?Humphrey said: “I have loved being involved at BT Sport from the very beginning. The last two years have been some of the most enjoyable of my career and on the way we’ve had some cracking games, part of the reason we’ve taken the channels from zero to over five million subscribers in the process.
“The next stage is even more exciting as we become the only place to watch live UEFA Champions League. Fulfilling a childhood dream to present the Barclays Premier League has been an incredible adventure, and to be able to present big European matches from the world’s most iconic stadiums will be another challenge I can’t wait to take on.”
The acquisition of exclusive broadcast rights for UEFA’s two European club competitions set BT back a record £897 million, and the company’s sport channels have leave to show all 350 fixtures each season for the next three years, though extra subscription costs have been mooted, to cover the vast expense of playing host to the two lucrative tournaments.
The deal, which BT struck back in 2013, marks the end of top-flight European football on terrestrial TV channels and is the first of its kind – with no other carrier ever allotted exclusive rights to show the entire tournament before.
Grant Best, BT’s executive director of programming and creative, said: “It is going to be a hugely exciting time for BT Sport as we become the only place to watch exclusively live UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches.
“Jake has been a big hit with our viewers for his assured and confident style in presenting our Barclays Premier League matches. His role is expanding and I know he’ll bring the same quality and professionalism to our coverage of the best club competition in the world.”
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