NFL Partners with ITV for U.K. Coverage, Ends BBC Run

The NFL has a new broadcast home for its U.K. coverage.

ITV, one of BBC’s competitors, has won media rights to the league for the next three years. The broadcaster will host two of the three games held in London this year, a weekly NFL show, and will broadcast the Super Bowl. Financial terms were not disclosed.

For the past seven years, the BBC had held rights to the league — though ITV has previously broadcasted multiple Super Bowls.

The news comes at a time when American football is growing in the U.K. The league itself has invested in growing its fanbase across the pond by hosting 30 games in London since 2007. 

The league believes that investment has paid off. In a statement, NFL U.K. managing director Henry Hodgson noted several examples suggesting the NFL is more popular in the U.K. than ever, from British players in the NFL and a growing fanbase to launching an academy.

“This announcement is another sign of our ambition to grow and develop the sport in the UK,” Hodgson said.