Amazon has broken BT’s grip on live UK Champions League football and highlights will be broadcast on the BBC for the first time in a new deal starting in 2024.
BT has retained the lion’s share of Champions League rights, securing UK rights to 187 of 204 matches in the new expanded format from 2024, while cutting the price of the next three-year deal by 23% to £917m.
BT, which has broadcast Champions League football exclusively in the UK since 2015 after beating then-joint owners Sky and ITV to a blockbuster bid of £900m, paid £1.2bn at the latest auction in 2019.
Amazon, which in 2018 broke BT and Sky’s duopoly control of Premier League soccer rights, has struck again, securing 17 first-choice Champions League games on Tuesday night in the US retailer’s biggest ever sports rights deal and streaming giant in the UK.
“The addition of UEFA Champions League football is a really important moment for Prime Video in the UK,” said Alex Green, managing director of Prime Video Sport Europe, which has secured similar deals in Italy and Germany.
From 2024, the BBC will become the home of highlights with a new Match of the Day on Wednesday nights. Since 2014, the Champions League has not been televised.
“Our reach and ability to bring people together is second to none and we couldn’t be more pleased that UEFA has recognized the value of our ability to bring the UEFA Champions League to the widest possible audience in the UK,” said Barbara Slater, BBC Sport director.
Under the deal, BT will continue to have exclusive UK broadcasting rights to the Europa League and the Europa Conference League, meaning a total of 533 matches, including Champions League matches – a 27% increase, reflecting the expansion of UEFA’s club competitions from 2024 .
“BT Sport continues to be the home of UEFA club competitions until 2027,” said Mark Allera, chief executive of BT Consumer. “From 2024 we will be able to show more games than ever before live and exclusively.”
But observers questioned whether losing exclusive rights to BT’s crown sports asset could hurt the company.
Amazon’s limited number of games are first choice, which the company says ensures they will be coveted matches featuring English teams until the semi-finals if they progress that far, and the BBC highlights deal could prove attractive to viewers concerned about jumps. utility bills, including pay TV.
Overall, UEFA is believed to have raised the value of its rights from £1.2bn to around £1.5bn in its latest auction.
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“UEFA has been able to increase the value of the rights by opening up the auction and packages to more players,” said Paolo Pescatore, an independent analyst at PP Foresight. “It will not affect fans if they are forced to spend more in these unprecedented times with higher living costs. While BT Sport loses exclusivity, it provides long-term security by entering into the joint venture with Discovery, giving fans more games for less money.”
Last month BT struck a £633m deal with US media company Warner Bros Discovery to create a pay-TV sports business joint venture combining BT Sport and Eurosport, home to rights including pan-European Olympic coverage.
BT said that despite the reduction in rights control, it would continue to provide ultimate access for free; so far there is a deal with YouTube. The new joint venture may or may not decide to continue using YouTube as its free platform.
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