BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Football fans will now be able to watch all 51 games of the European Championship in Germany via live broadcasts at public viewings and in many bars and restaurants. This is made possible by a cooperation between Deutsche Telekom and Sky. As Telekom announced on Tuesday, MagentaTV will make its European Championship program available for restaurants and official events via the pay-TV channel. Deutsche Telekom will broadcast all 51 matches live via its fee-based streaming service - including five exclusive matches. However, the majority of matches can also be seen on free TV on ARD, ZDF and RTL.

In thousands of restaurants, hotels and pubs that are equipped with Sky hardware, up to three MagentaTV channels are loaded onto the existing Sky receivers free of charge. Businesses without a Sky subscription can book the channels via Sky.

Anyone wishing to hold an official public viewing event during the European Championship from June 14 to July 14 must apply to UEFA in advance. If the application is successful, Sky will provide the necessary hardware. The organizers will then be able to show all matches, including the parallel matches that are not free-to-air and the MagentaTV conference on the decisive third group match days.

"We want to take the enthusiasm for the home Euros to a new level. Live broadcasts in restaurants and classic public viewing are indispensable for this, as these mass phenomena captivate millions of people," said Arnim Butzen, Head of TV at Deutsche Telekom, in a statement. "We are therefore delighted to have found the perfect distribution partner for this in Sky."/eng/DP/nas