There is strong expectation that UEFA will renew their Champions League contract with BT Sport for another three seasons from 2018-19 following Wednesday's tender deadline.

Heavyweight subscription channel rivals Sky will bid to regain the flagship European club tournament rights.

But just as Sky couldn't afford to lose their Premier League packages in the last domestic auction, BT Sport's need is greater this time around to keep Champions League content. And Sky will question whether it is worth having to spend around £1billion to recover them.

BT Sport expect to renew their Champions League contract with UEFA for three more seasons

Despite poor ratings, BT Sport are determined to keep hold of Champions League content

This column has frequently revealed woeful TV ratings for CL games on BT Sport over the last two seasons. But broadband sales are more important to the network, and UEFA's high command prioritise attracting the most money rather than viewing figures.

UEFA believe clubs would revolt if they didn't maximise income and BT Sport has provided enough exposure in the UK market as well as £900m for the current contract.

The main hope for terrestrial TV coverage is for BT Sport to agree a sub-licensing deal with ITV once they have won the rights battle.

Meanwhile, BT Sport have saved some loose change by not renewing their sponsorship of the Sports Journalists' Association awards.

Leicester's improbable run to the knockout stages have been shown on BT Sport this season

Sky will question whether it is worth having to spend around £1billion to recover the rights

The Aviva Rugby Premiership will be shown live on terrestrial television for the first time next season following a new highlights contract being agreed with Channel 5.

The deal is understood to include provision for C5 to broadcast five games per season live in a simulcast with major rights holders BT Sport. Under the current ITV4 deal, only highlights can be shown.

BT Sport is the major rights holders but Channel 5 will show the Aviva Premiership next season

Promoter Eddie Hearn has called Billy Joe Saunders and Terry Flanagan two under-achieving boxers whose careers 'haven't been built along the way'. They have become world champions while in the stable of Hearn's arch-rival, Frank Warren.

Warren responded to the jibe by saying that he signed Flanagan because his career was going nowhere with Hearn, from whom Warren has also attracted Josh Warrington.

How much the 'acrimony' between David Haye and Tony Bellew is just hype to sell tickets and pay-per-view will only become apparent after Saturday's fight. But some boxing insiders insist Haye and Bellew got on well before they began the trash talk.

Promoter Eddie Hearn has hit out at boxers Billy Joe Saunders and Terry Flanagan

Flanagan has become world champions while in the stable of Hearn's arch rival, Frank Warren

Only the commercially rampant RFU could describe long-standing Twickenham debenture holders, who have valid grievances about constant interruptions during matches from booze-fest spectators, as 'rabble-rousers'.

Alas, Twickenham are too money-obsessed to solve the problem of constant return trips to the bars by closing them during matches.

The RFU council have surprisingly voted for the RFU to begin making the organisation compliant with the Sport England governance code. But the blazers won't agree easily to term limits and giving up full control over decision-making.

Open bars during the action at Twickenham have led to grievances from debenture holders

Collins in the lions' den

Damian Collins, Tory MP and chairman of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport select committee, was a surprise Football League guest in the VIP Wembley Suite for Sunday's EFL Cup final, given there were several FA councillors in the room whom Collins would like to cull.

Collins heard FL chairman Ian Lenagan say in his pre-match speech that Government 'should leave football alone'. However, Lenagan and FA independent director Roger Devlin were prepared to chat convivially with Collins.

Meanwhile, it will take more than Lenagan name-checking the 'EFL' more than 20 times during his speech for the Football League rebranding to catch on, just as it will always be the Premier League rather than the EPL.

The big-name Manchester United figure on crutches at Wembley was executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, who was suffering from arthritis, which he's had to combat since he was 11.