October 13 – UEFA is preparing to open its next UEFA Champions League media rights tender (2027–2033) to the global streaming platforms such as Netflix, Apple, and Amazon Prime Video.
With modern fans consuming football in a different way than previous generations, UEFA via its partnership with new rights holder UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and the European Football Clubs (formerly the ECA), is adapting its thinking.
The tender, set to open on October 13, will cover the five biggest markets in Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. UEFA wants to improve its innovation, reach, with the by-product being a bigger payday.
Relevent Sports Group, the U.S. agency, and new kids on the block believe that UEFA can break through to €5 billion in annual revenue. After wrestling the commercial rights contract from TEAM Marketing (the full hand over completes in two years, this is Relevent’s big opportunity to stake a flag firmly in the ground.
The inspiration for reaching out to streaming platforms was the wild success of the NFL’s Christmas Day deal with Netflix, which produced record numbers.
This pilot has led Relevent to explore the sale of exclusive global streaming rights for at least one Champions League match each season.
UEFA, though, is looking at a different model with longer contracts, more flexibility, and broader access. Among the likely bidders are Netflix, who recently won the rights to the 2027 Women’s World Cup, Amazon Prime Video, already broadcasting Champions League games in several key territories, Apple, which holds a decade-long global deal with Major League Soccer, and DAZN, the digital disruptor built for this moment.
At the European Football Clubs assembly in Rome, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said, “Together we are building something unique, with real ambition… The goal is to deliver football that is engaging, innovative, and accessible to a global audience.”
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