The Champions League is set to move to Paramount+ in the UK, ending the contest’s decade-long presence on BT Sport and TNT Sports.
Paramount has reportedly won the live and exclusive rights to every Champions League game, except the first pick of Tuesday night matches which has picked up by Amazon’s Prime Video, in a new broadcast deal covering 2027 – 2031.
The competition already airs on Paramount+ in the US and the UK rights are the streamer’s latest major sports rights deal following its acquisition by David Ellison’s Skydance earlier this year since.
Other deals include securing exclusive UFC rights in the US, Latin America and Australia.
Prime Video Champions League Rights
Prime Video’s rights also include Ireland, Germany and Italy for four seasons through to 2030/31.
Alex Green, MD Prime Video Sport, International, said: “This is an important moment for our service and fantastic news for our Prime members in the UK, Ireland, Germany and Italy, securing the biggest games in European football through to 2031.
“The combination of must-watch matches and the wide audience of Prime is delivering record viewership of the Champions League across Europe, and we will continue to raise the bar in our coverage.
“The new four-year deal gives us long-term certainty and allows us to innovate even more deeply for fans, such as the introduction of Prime Vision this season.”
UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League
Rights to air the UEFA Europa and Conference leagues – both also currently shown by TNT – from the 2027/28 season have been won by Sky Sports, giving the broadcaster 342 matches each season.
Jonathan Licht, Sky’s Chief Sports Officer, said: “I’m proud that we’re able to bring European football competitions back to Sky customers.
“The UEFA Europa League and Conference League have delivered some of the most exciting European stories in recent years, with English clubs consistently performing strongly and lifting trophies.
Champions League on Free TV?
Paramount’s UK operations include Channel 5 which could potentially air some of the firm’s Champions League matches, bringing live coverage of the tournament back to terrestrial TV for the first time since 2015.
While the BBC has a highlights package, the addition of whole matches to the Channel 5 schedule could potentially bring a significant boost to the broadcaster’s audience figures.
The future of TNT Sports UK
The result of the UK auction will be a blow for TNT Sports which has now lost much of its premium football content.
While it still retains rights to the FA Cup, some Premier League matches plus extensive rugby and cricket rights, this is unlikely to be enough to justify the almost £30 per month price tag.
The channel is a joint venture between BT and Warner Bros. Discovery, the second of which is the subject of a takeover bid by Paramount’s parent company. Should that deal be successful it could lead to further changes at the channel.