Champions League Rights Shift Signals Streaming Focus and Rising Costs for Fans
The landscape for watching Champions League football is undergoing a important shift, with a new strategy prioritizing digital platforms and potentially leading to increased costs for viewers. UC3, the agency handling the call for proposals, notes the “rapidly changing media landscape” and the growing investment in sports by global, digitally-focused platforms, stating that these investments inevitably translate to “increasing end consumer prices.”
under the new packaging structure, three live packages will be available for national markets: a single Tuesday game, a single Wednesday game, and the remaining 15 matches from each group stage matchday. These four packages – including the combined Tuesday/Wednesday offering - could theoretically be purchased by four different broadcasters.
In Germany, DAZN is the primary contender, currently holding the rights to broadcast the majority of games through 2027. Alice Mascia, DAZN Germany’s head, emphasized the importance of the Champions league, stating, “The Champions League is the heart of European football and an important part of our offer for football fans in Germany.” she further highlighted DAZN’s comprehensive football portfolio, which includes the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, and Ligue 1, providing “top national and international football in all its facets all year round.”
DAZN previously secured the rights over Sky, which is now operating without the financial burden of the premier class. Sky’s situation remains uncertain as its acquisition by RTL is currently under antitrust review, preventing the two companies from coordinating on rights purchases.
The shift towards streaming is likely to mean fewer live games on free-to-air television. Beyond the final, free TV channels are priced out of contention.ZDF will continue to broadcast highlights on Wednesdays and the final,while DAZN and Amazon Prime Video are expected to share live broadcasting rights in Germany until the end of the 2026/27 season. The total cost for these packages is estimated at around €300 million per season.
Traditional broadcasters ARD and ZDF appear to be excluded from the current process.Sources within broadcasting circles indicate that ARD has not received any documentation related to the tender.
UEFA currently generates €4.4 billion per season from marketing rights for its three European club competitions – the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. Bids for the rights to the Europa and Conference Leagues are also being accepted, with a deadline of November 18th.
Source: ntv.de,Michael Rossmann,dpa.
