The BBC and ITV today agreed a deal with German TV giants Kirch for coverage of next year's World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
The agreement follows months of negotiations, with Kirch originally demanding more than three times than the £50 million the TV organisations were offering.
Final details of the agreement were being tied up this morning before the official announcement of the amount of money involved in the deal.
All parties involved are understood to be very happy with the outcome of the negotiations. - PA