The matches of the most prestigious club competition in the world, the Champions League, will be provided by a completely new broadcaster.
30.04.2026 13:03
Photo: News Images, News Images LTD / Alamy / Profimedia
The Champions League will now be broadcast by a streaming platform.
As reported by the British The Guardian, for the first time in history, the streaming platform Disney+ secured the broadcasting of the Men’s Champions League. The European Football Union (UEFA) has attracted a new buyer in the TV rights auction, which was due to end this week.
In the auction of 19 television markets for the 2027-2031 cycle, which ended this week, Disney was declared the preferred bidder in several European countries, one of which is Slovakia.
Disney’s success is significant for the industry as it will be the first time an American company has bought the rights to the Champions League, and demonstrates the growing appeal of the Champions League for broadcasters and streaming services.
The winning bidders will be announced by UC3, a joint venture between UEFA and lobby group European Football Clubs, which manages the commercial arm of Europe’s elite club competitions.
UEFA and UC3 secured a 20 to 30 percent increase in their existing contracts last year in the five biggest European markets – UK, Spain, Germany, Italy and France – and in the current round of sales are expected to achieve further double-digit growth in TV rights revenue.
The recent auction covered Champions League rights in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Central America, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, South America, Sweden and Switzerland.
Disney’s winning bids come after fellow streaming company Paramount+ bought the Champions League rights in the UK and Germany in November last year.
The result will be welcomed by clubs and domestic leagues as it demonstrates the growing demand for football rights and will not divert financial resources from major rights holders such as Sky Sports, TNT Sports or Dazn.
UEFA expects the total value of its TV rights to exceed €5 billion a year after the tenders are completed and, as the Guardian reported this month, it is also expected to earn more than €1 billion a year through commercial deals.
UC3 commissioned American agency Relevent Football Partners to handle the TV and sponsorship tenders last year, ending UEFA’s 30-year partnership with Swiss agency Team, and at this stage it appears to have been a success.
Disney’s interest in the soccer rights has been building for some time and is likely to continue to grow. The company owns the exclusive pan-European rights to the Women’s Champions League until 2030 and the rights to the Europa League and the Conference League in Sweden and Denmark.
