Amazon secures UK UEFA rights as BT loses exclusivity

Amazon has secured UK rights to the UEFA Champions League, with BT losing its exclusive rights to the top European football competition.

The news, announced by UEFA on Friday, has seen BT lose its exclusive rights to UEFA competitions, having been the sole broadcast partner in the UK since 2015. 

BT will retain the majority of matches, with Amazon set to broadcast one game per match day for the 2024-27 rights cycle.

Amazon is said to have agreed to pay £1.5 billion for the rights as the Seatle-based retail and media giant continues to grow its sports offering in the UK. Amazon already has the rights to the Champions League in Germany, in a deal that runs from 2021-24. 

BT meanwhile is paying £305 million per season to show 533 of the 550 games available. The broadcaster is currently in the midst of a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery-owned Eurosport, with the pair set to combine under one banner in the coming years. 

UEFA reportedly decided to do away with exclusivity for rights from 2024/25 onwards, due to the competition’s expansion from 32 to 36 teams and subsequent increased number of matches.

Commenting on the rights win, Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer Division, said: “BT Sport continues to be the home of the UEFA Club Competitions until 2027 and we are extremely proud to have the privilege of twelve years of broadcasting one of the most exciting competitions in the world.  It is fantastic news for our viewers that from 2024 we will be able to show more games than ever before live and exclusive on BT Sport.” 

Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Marketing Director, said: “We are delighted to be extending our partnership with BT until 2027. BT has been a long-standing UEFA club competition partner since 2015, where it has applied industry leading broadcast expertise to European club football. Throughout 2024-27 BT will broadcast more live matches than ever before, which will be supplemented by its exceptional array of original programming.”

Elsewhere, the BBC has secured rights to UEFA highlights for the first time for the same period. Starting in 2024, the BBC will broadcast a Wednesday night highlight show to showcase the competition.

BBC Director of Sport Barbara Slater says: “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.”