Paramount has won the rights to broadcast the majority of the Champions League matches in the UK for four years from 2027.
The US media giant will reportedly pay in excess of the £1bn deal that is currently in place with TNT Sports. TNT Sports has been the main home of UEFA club football in the UK and Ireland since 2013.
Despite the new arrangement, Amazon Prime will continue to show a game every Tuesday in the UK from 2027 to 2031. This company will also keep its package of first picks in Germany on Wednesday nights.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports has won the rights to broadcast Europa League and Conference League matches from the 2027/28 season in the UK. In Italy, Sky Italia remains the main pay-TV broadcaster of the Champions League, while Amazon Prime Video continues to hold its first-pick package on Wednesday nights.
Paramount has also been named as the preferred bidder for the main Champions League packages in Germany.
Canal+ was the big winner in France, scooping exclusive rights to all UEFA club competitions – the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League – for a further four seasons from 2027/28 to 2030/31.
In Spain, Telefónica has won a new four-season deal, retaining rights to all UEFA club competitions on Movistar Plus+ from 2027 through 2031.
The European rights deals follow the first auction run by UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and the European Football Clubs (previously known as the European Club Association), and its new agency Relevent Football Partners, which replaced UEFA’s long-term sales partner TEAM Marketing in 2024.
Disney+ recently secured the rights to the UEFA Women’s Champions League across Europe from next season. Discover more here.
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