BBC announce they will broadcast Champions League highlights for the first-time EVER from 2024 after agreeing a three-year deal… with BT Sport and Amazon Prime also part of the £1.5billion deal
- The BBC has agreed a three-year deal to show Champions League highlights
- The TV channel will become home to Wednesday night highlights from 2024
- BT Sport will retain the highlights for Tuesday nights and the Europa League
The BBC has agreed a new three-year deal to show Champions League highlights for the first-time ever from the 2024-25 season.
The TV channel will become home to Wednesday night highlights, showcasing all of the action from Europe’s elite club competition across its linear, digital and social channels, delivering all of the goals and unmissable moments.
BT Sport will, however, retain highlights for Tuesday night and also the Europa League and Europa Conference League.
The BBC has agreed a new three-year deal to show Champions League highlights from 2024
The TV channel will become home to Wednesday night highlights, showcasing all of the action
BT Sport will, however, retain the highlights for Tuesday nights and also the Europa League
BBC Director of Sport Barbara Slater said: ‘We are simply thrilled to have won these rights.
‘Our reach and ability to bring people together is unrivalled and we couldn’t be more delighted that UEFA have recognised the value in our ability to bring the UEFA Champions League to the widest possible audience across the UK.
‘This package of highlights and digital content will allow football fans to follow the UEFA Champions League, wherever and however they like.
BBC Director of Sport Barbara Slater (pictured) admits they are thrilled to have won the rights
‘The UEFA Champions League is a wonderful addition to our portfolio of football output on the BBC and we can’t wait to get started in 2024!’
Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Marketing Director, added: ‘We are thrilled to be partnering with the BBC in the UK for 2024-27, as it broadcasts UEFA Champions League Wednesday highlights for the very first time.
‘The BBC brand is synonymous with premium sport, and it will apply its extensive expertise in delivering wide-reaching UEFA Champions League coverage for fans in the market.’
This news comes on the back of Amazon Prime securing live rights to broadcast Champions League matches in the UK for the first time in a joint deal with BT Sport.
Amazon is reportedly close to agreeing a deal to broadcast the Champions League in the UK
Sportsmail has learned that in their rights auction for the 2024 to 2027 competition UEFA have abandoned the exclusivity model that has seen BT Sport broadcast the competition since 2015 in an attempt to bring the new generation of streaming services into the market, with Amazon set to benefit.
Amazon began a three-year contract broadcasting Champions League games live in Germany last season and securing UK rights will greatly enhance their sports offering, as well as providing a big boost to Premier League clubs looking to benefit financially from selling matches the new streaming providers.
The new joint three-year deal is expected to increase in value from the £1.2billion paid for rights for the 2022 to 2024 competition, although that increase also reflects the expansion of the Champions League to involve 36 clubs each playing eight group stage matches from 2024 in the new so-called Swiss system.
Amazon already shows live matches from the English Premier League and games in France
The increased number of matches has encouraged UEFA to abandon exclusivity and appeals to Amazon as they can offer a range of games to fans.
Amazon have broadcast two rounds of Premier League matches live since 2019 and will begin a new three-year contract to carry on doing so this season.
Buying the Champions League will be their biggest deal to date, and will provide encouragement to clubs that they could bid for more Premier League matches in the next rights cycle after 2025.
