Cutbacks force NOS to drop Champions League

The NOS did not put in a bid for the rights of the UEFA Champions League for the period 2015 - 2018. The deadline for this was today at 12:00 p.m. General director Jan de Jong: "The decision to not bid was a choice. Through the cut backs of the Cabinet Rutte I and II NOS was forced to set priorities and make choices. NOS finds it of utmost importance to protect the news service and not to take away any money in the sports budget for the coverage of sports other than football, especially because commercial broadcasters pay little or no attention to that. Not making a bid on the largest and most important club competition in the world is a direct result of that policy." The NOS has broadcast the Champions Leauge matches since the inception of the tournament in 1992.