American film company Paramount has won the tender for the television rights to the Champions League in Great Britain and Germany. This is reported by Bloomberg, according to UNN.
Details
Paramount Skydance Corp. has won the tender for the television rights to the Champions League in Great Britain and Germany. This is the first time an American media group has made a major move into international sports. Auctions for rights in other countries, including major European markets, are still ongoing.
UEFA has been trying to revise the tender process for broadcasting its flagship Champions League tournament, hoping to increase its appeal to streaming providers. The organization initially planned to sell global rights packages and held preliminary talks with a number of streamers about a global offer, but bidders preferred to focus on regional deals, said a person who asked not to be named, discussing ongoing negotiations.
Paramount's victory marks a significant new entry into the UK and German markets, two of UEFA's largest territories. Currently, broadcasting rights are split between Amazon.com Inc. and TNT Sports.
Paramount, which merged with David Ellison's Skydance Media in August, signed a deal with UEFA in 2022 for a six-year partnership to broadcast the Champions League in the US.
The deal, concluded on Thursday, is a significant victory for UEFA and its new media consultants. UEFA's annual flagship tournament, the Champions League, generates billions of euros in commercial revenue each season. Despite this huge revenue, media rights are fragmented, with approximately 100 different broadcasters acquiring various packages.
Recall
A mega-merger is brewing in Hollywood that could be the largest in the media industry in the last decade. David Ellison's Paramount Skydance is considered the main contender to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery – a giant that includes HBO, Warner Bros. film studio, and a streaming service with over 120 million subscribers.