UEFA considering streaming games on its own global streamer
UEFA considering streaming games on its own global streamer
The idea of a UEFA streamer appears to be rising from the ashes of the Super League.
In 2021, several of Europe’s elite soccer clubs came together in an attempt to revolutionize how football was played on the continent. Called the European Super League, this competition would attempt to replace the UEFA Champions League, but fan backlash against the attempt was immediate and vociferous. The Super League is essentially dead now, but one of the most ambitious ideas generated by it seems to have survived: a new, global streaming platform to distribute UEFA Champions League games.
Key Details:
- Rise from the ashes: A new Champions League streamer could be born from the Super League controversy.
- Get real: Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez wants to expand access to games.
- Domestic competition: Paramount+ holds the rights to stream UEFA Champions League matches in the U.S. through 2030.
Defensa Central was first to report details about the possible launch of a new UEFA streaming service. The governing body of European football would ideally have this new streamer ready to go by 2027, with strategic testing planned for Asian markets.
Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez made a free, globally available streaming service a centerpiece of his Super League plans. His hope was to make access to top soccer matches more democratic, with lower barriers for fans everywhere in the world.
“In my opinion, what we want is transparency. No closed competition. And, above all, the implementation of free-to-air television for football,” Pérez said at the time.
Now, it appears that UEFA is trying to run with the proposal, though it will require a much more deliberate rollout than a new Super League streaming platform would have. UEFA has already sold streaming rights to the Champions League globally, and will have to reclaim those rights in a given market before it can offer a new streaming service there.
In the United States, for example, UEFA Champions League games stream on Paramount+ live, and will continue to do so through at least 2030. Fans in Asian markets should keep an eye out for more details over the next several months, however, as a new UEFA Champions League streaming service could be launching there next year.
While it will likely be years before such a streamer is fully available worldwide, as we have seen with MLB taking over discarded regional sports network rights, the NBA looking to launch an in-market streamer next year, and more, leagues appear to be eager to take fuller control over their rights than they have in the past.
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Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and more. Get free access with a Walmart+ subscription.
Paramount+ includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.