Megogo, a popular streaming service, has successfully retained the rights to broadcast European soccer’s UEFA club competitions in Ukraine for the next three-year cycle. This follows their coverage of UEFA club competition action during the 2021-24 period.
The platform has secured an exclusive deal to showcase premier football events including the UEFA Champions League matches, second-tier Europa League, and third-tier Conference League from 2024-25 through to 2026-27. The new agreement also extends to include broadcasting rights for the UEFA Youth League and UEFA Super Cup - an annual fixture contested between Champions League and Europa League winners.
The sale was expertly negotiated by Team Marketing, which is recognized as UEFA’s partner agency responsible for media and commercial rights sales across its club competitions. As part of this new agreement, Megogo will broadcast the Champions League starting from its fourth and final qualifying round next season. Coverage of both Europa League and Conference League matches will commence from their respective group stages.
New format for club competitions
From next season onwards, all of UEFA's club competitions will operate under a revamped format. The Champions league is set to comprise 203 matches per season spread across 19 match weeks - a significant increase compared with current scheduling that includes only 17 match weeks with a total of 137 games.
Similarly, both Conference league and Europa League matches are set to expand in size next year with total matches increasing from current count of 282 up to an impressive tally of 342 games.
Recent deals across other regions
In addition to Megogo's successful bid in Ukraine, several other broadcasters have also secured lucrative deals for broadcasting rights during the upcoming cycle (2024-27). Notably among these are pay-TV broadcaster Nova who won rights in Czech Republic while Viaplay did so in Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland. Furthermore, bTV and Wowow have extended their existing deals in Bulgaria and Japan respectively.
Earlier this month, UEFA also initiated the tender process for media rights in New Zealand for the 2024-27 cycle.
Megogo's successful retention of UEFA club rights in Ukraine is a testament to its commitment towards providing high-quality sports content to its subscribers. With an expanded format for all club competitions from next season onwards, football fans are set to enjoy more action-packed games than ever before.
