FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Champions League - Draw For Quarter Final, Semi Final and Final - UEFA Headquarters, Nyon, Switzerland - March 15, 2024 General view of the UEFA logo after the draw REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
PARIS (Reuters) -UEFA and its joint venture UC3 on Monday launched the tender process for broadcast and commercial rights to European club competitions for the 2027–2031 cycle, introducing a series of industry firsts including a global “first pick” package for the Champions League.
The process, run in partnership with Relevent Football Partners, covers UEFA’s men’s club competitions across Europe’s five biggest markets — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom — and will run until November 18.
It marks the first time European soccer's governing body has offered a simultaneous multi-market tender and longer four-year broadcast agreements, in a bid to adapt to fast-changing media consumption habits.
The new “first pick” package grants exclusive rights to one top Champions League match per round, aimed at attracting global digital platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube and Apple TV+.
The move follows the creation of UC3, a joint venture uniting UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA), chaired by Paris St Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, to manage the commercial rights of UEFA competitions.
The 2027/28 season will also open with a Tuesday night showcase fixture in which the reigning Champions League winners begin their title defence at home in a standalone match — another first designed to boost visibility and fan engagement.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, UC3 co-managing director, said the launch “marks a significant milestone” in UEFA’s commercial strategy.
“By introducing a more flexible and globally focused approach, we aim to attract a broader range of partners and ensure UEFA’s club competitions continue to lead the way in sports media innovation,” he said.
Charlie Marshall, also co-managing director of UC3, said the new approach reflected UEFA’s desire “to keep innovating and unlock new value for the competitions, the clubs, our partners and our fans.”
Relevent Football Partners CEO Boris Gartner said the long-term model would “align incentives and create enduring value for media partners, the competitions themselves and the clubs they represent — not just for the next cycle, but for the next 20 years and beyond.”
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris)
