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Champions League Live

Champions League Live

Overview
Champions League Live is a football programme currently shown on both ITV
ITV
ITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...

 and Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...

 in the UK, broadcasting live UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...

 football.

Under the current rights agreement, ITV shows one live match on a Wednesday (on ITV
ITV
ITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...

/STV
STV
STV is the brand used by both ITV licensees in Northern and Central Scotland, formerly known as Grampian TV and Scottish TV respectively. The brand was adopted on Tuesday, 30 May 2006 replacing both franchises' identities. Its positioning, identity and brand guidelines were developed by Elmwood...

), with Sky Sports showing all other matches via its interactive service. On Tuesdays, Sky
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...

 show all eight games, including those involving the English clubs.
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Encyclopedia
Champions League Live is a football programme currently shown on both ITV
ITV
ITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...

 and Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...

 in the UK, broadcasting live UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...

 football.

Under the current rights agreement, ITV shows one live match on a Wednesday (on ITV
ITV
ITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...

/STV
STV
STV is the brand used by both ITV licensees in Northern and Central Scotland, formerly known as Grampian TV and Scottish TV respectively. The brand was adopted on Tuesday, 30 May 2006 replacing both franchises' identities. Its positioning, identity and brand guidelines were developed by Elmwood...

), with Sky Sports showing all other matches via its interactive service. On Tuesdays, Sky
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...

 show all eight games, including those involving the English clubs. Both channels show the final live. Despite sharing the name, the two channels' programmes are different productions.

ITV


On ITV, Steve Rider
Steve Rider
Stephen Rider is a well known English sports presenter, and is currently anchorman of ITV's Football coverage, which includes the Champions League, England Internationals and the FA Cup....

, Matt Smith
Matt Smith (broadcaster)
Matt Smith is a British broadcaster, and currently one of ITV Sport's main presenters.Matt hosts coverage of UEFA Cup live matches and UEFA Champions League highlights. In the past, he has presented The Championship highlights programme every Sunday on ITV1 and UEFA Champions League Live matches...

 and Craig Doyle
Craig Doyle
Craig Doyle is an Irish television and radio presenter.Craig Doyle grew up in the south Dublin suburb of Booterstown. Being educated in catholic schools, the priests wanted Doyle to take to a religious career, but he originally wanted to be a veterinarian...

 share presenting duties. Pundits include Robbie Earle
Robbie Earle
Robert Fitzgerald "Robbie" Earle MBE is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and played approximately 600 games in senior club football, scoring around 150 goals...

, Andy Townsend
Andy Townsend
Andrew David Townsend is an English-born Irish former footballer, who played in two World Cups for the Republic of Ireland and is now a television and radio pundit....

 and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jerrel Floyd Hasselbaink , usually known as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, is a Dutch former football striker who played for various clubs in the Netherlands, Portugal, England and Spain, as well as the Dutch national team...

. The commentators are Clive Tyldesley
Clive Tyldesley
Clive Tyldesley is an English sports commentator, who since 1998 has been the main football commentator for ITV. He has commentated on eleven Champions League finals and numerous World Cup and European Championship matches.-Career:...

, Jon Champion
Jon Champion
Jon Champion is a freelance television commentator who works for ESPN. His late father David Champion was the deputy headmaster of the independent school Bootham School, York...

 and Peter Drury
Peter Drury
Peter Drury has been a leading member of the ITV Sport commentary team since arriving at ITV in 1998.A politics graduate from Hull University, Peter began his career as a journalist with Hayters sports agency before joining BBC Radio Leeds in 1990 as a football and cricket commentator, presenter...

, with analysts David Pleat
David Pleat
David Pleat is a former football player turned manager and sports commentator. He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur football club, but also an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after a last-minute goal...

 and Jim Beglin
Jim Beglin
James Martin Beglin is a former Irish professional footballer.His first senior club was Shamrock Rovers whom he joined in 1980. He went on to spend 3 years at Milltown, making 4 appearances in Europe and scoring one goal.Beglin was the last signing made by Liverpool manager Bob Paisley when he...

.

In Northern and Central Scotland, STV
STV
STV is the brand used by both ITV licensees in Northern and Central Scotland, formerly known as Grampian TV and Scottish TV respectively. The brand was adopted on Tuesday, 30 May 2006 replacing both franchises' identities. Its positioning, identity and brand guidelines were developed by Elmwood...

 produce and broadcast their own Champions League coverage, regardless of whether or not a Scottish team is playing. Rob MacLean
Rob MacLean
Robin MacLean is a freelance Scottish television presenter, football commentator and sports writer.MacLean joined Setanta Sports in 2004 shortly after it won the rights to screen exclusive live Scottish Premier League football matches...

 is the main presenter with match commentary from Ian Crocker
Ian Crocker (commentator)
Ian Crocker is a football commentator who worked for Setanta Sports for three years before they entered into administration in June 2009. Crocker was Setanta's lead commentator on the station's live coverage of the Scottish Premier League and also shared commentating duties with Jon Champion on...

, Jock Brown
Jock Brown
Jock Brown is a football commentator for STV, previously for BBC Scotland and Setanta Sports. He started his broadcasting career for BBC Radio Scotland before moving to Scottish Television where he became the main commentator between 1980 and 1990 before joining BBC Scotland where he stayed until...

, Scott Booth
Scott Booth
Scott Booth is a former Scottish football player.Booth started his career at his hometown club of Aberdeen where he played up front for about nine years...

 and Craig Burley
Craig Burley
Craig William Burley is a Scottish former international association football player, who played for clubs including Chelsea, Celtic and Derby County. He is also the nephew of Scotland manager George Burley.-Career:...

. The programmes are produced in-house by STV Productions.

Sky Sports


On Sky Sports, there are a large number of commentators and co-commentators due to the interactive coverage showing every match live. The programme is presented in the Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...

 studio, covering all matches shown. Richard Keys
Richard Keys
Richard Keys born 23 April 1957 in Coventry, England, is a television presenter on the British sports channel Sky Sports. In the mid to late 1980s, he co-presented TV-am, a breakfast show on the ITV network, with Anne Diamond. He also commentated on football for the ITV network.Keys was one of the...

 is the presenter, with punditry variously from Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Frank Redknapp is a former English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports....

, Andy Gray, Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
is a Dutch football coach and former player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup...

, Ray Wilkins
Ray Wilkins
Raymond Colin Wilkins MBE , often known as "Butch" Wilkins, is an English former football player and coach, and is also an occasional television pundit. He is the brother of former Brighton & Hove Albion manager and player Dean Wilkins...

, Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager. He is perhaps best known as the former captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s, and as a manager notably with Rangers, Liverpool, Benfica, Galatasaray, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle...

 and Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English football manager and former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....

. Commentators include Martin Tyler
Martin Tyler
Martin Tyler is an English football commentator who was voted as the FA Premier League Commentator of The Decade. His voice has been synonymous with English football for over 25 years...

, Rob Hawthorne
Rob Hawthorne
Rob Hawthorne is a football commentator currently working for Sky Sports. He is most notable for his commentating alongside Andy Gray in the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final in Istanbul.He was born in Dudley, Worcestershire now West Midlands...

, Ian Darke
Ian Darke
Ian Darke is an English football and boxing commentator. Darke is one of Sky's 'Big Four' football commentators alongside Martin Tyler, Alan Parry and Rob Hawthorne. He is also the main commentator for Sky's big boxing matches...

, Alan Parry
Alan Parry
Alan Parry is a British sports commentator, born and raised in Garston, Liverpool, concentrating on football and athletics. He has, uniquely, commentated for all three main broadcasters of football in the UK - the BBC, ITV and Sky, as well as for both BBC and commercial radio.Starting his career...

, Kevin Keatings, Bill Leslie
Bill Leslie (commentator)
Bill Leslie is a leading British football commentator, working for Sky Sports.Leslie's first broadcasting experience was with London radio station Capital Gold, working initially as a football reporter and secondary commentator before taking the lead role on Jonathan Pearce's departure to the BBC...

 and Rob Palmer.

External links