UEFA could be on the precipice of revamping how media rights deals for live sports are done on a global scale.
According to a report by David Hellier in Bloomberg, the governing body for European football is considering a new bidding process for its flagship property, UEFA Champions League, that might include a “global offering” targeted towards a major streamer like Amazon and Netflix. As it stands, Champions League rights are sold individually by market, with about 100 different broadcasters buying up various packages worldwide.
Per Bloomberg, “broadcasters and streamers will now be able to bid for rights in multiple markets at the same time,” citing a source familiar with the matter. “Previously, major markets have been tendered at different times depending on existing contracts, making bundled bids difficult.”
The report also states that UEFA is looking towards “longer-term contracts” after seeing the success of the federation’s recent U.S. media rights deal with Paramount, which will generate $1.5 billion over six years.
A global rights package would be a massive lift for UEFA, which is about to put out tenders for 2027 and beyond. For instance, the U.S. deal with Paramount already runs through 2030, making a truly global package something that would need to happen over time. However, it appears UEFA is intent on bundling certain markets together in its new set of deals, rather than selling to each market individually.
Global media rights have been a big topic of discussion among industry observers recently. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has discussed the possibility of selling a global rights package come 2028, when the league’s current media rights deals expire. And the NFL, of course, has made a significant push towards international expansion by allowing streamers like Netflix and YouTube to broadcast games globally this season and last.
The global market is optimistically viewed as the next frontier for sports leagues as they look to increase their reach in conjunction with the technological innovations that worldwide streaming platforms like Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube have provided. For the first time, it is hypothetically possible for a league to distribute broadcasts to a global audience all on one platform. The question is whether that is preferable from a financial standpoint to splitting up the rights.
For a property like UEFA Champions League, one would have to imagine, given the global nature of the sport and the popularity of the competition worldwide, that a singular global rights deal would command record-setting money.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.