Champions League football is poised to disappear from free-to-air television for the first time after BT paid more than £900 million to bolster its sports coverage

BT has landed its biggest blow yet in the battle for pay-TV and broadband customers after launching a knockout bid, thought to be worth almost £1 billion, for the rights to broadcast live mid-week Champions League games from 2015.

The Times has learnt that the telecoms company has knocked out both BSkyB and ITV, the current holders of the rights, during bidding this week and has entered exclusive talks with Uefa for the rights packages. BT has yet to finalise the deal but appears almost certain to land the rights in the coming days.

A deal to sell the entire rights package to BT could raise the prospect of Champions League football disappearing from free-to-air television for the first time in Britain. BT offers its