Romanian pay-TV networks, Prima Sport and Digi Sport, have successfully renewed their rights to broadcast the UEFA's trio of international club competitions in Romania. This deal ensures coverage for the upcoming seasons, further solidifying their position in the sports broadcasting landscape.
The two broadcasters will share the rights to air matches from three major UEFA competitions: The Champions League (UCL), Europa League (UEL), and Conference League (UECL). This agreement spans three years, starting with the 2024-25 season and concluding at the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
This deal was finalized ahead of this year's season-opening UEFA Super Cup of Real Madrid vs Atalanta on August 14th, where Real Madrid emerged victorious against Atalanta.
Moving into a new era
In previous years (2021-24), coverage of these prestigious tournaments was divided between Digi Sport and Prima Sport. Orange Sport also shared a piece of this pie until it ceased operations earlier in 2024. Meanwhile, Pro TV held exclusive rights to broadcast Europa League and Conference League matches free-to-air.
Starting from 2024-25 season onwards, a new single-league format will be introduced for UCL. The competition will expand from its current roster of 32 teams to include four additional teams making it a total of 36 teams competing across an increased number of matches - up from current tally of 125 games to an impressive total of 189 UCL games. The group stages are set to kick off mid-September this year.
Similarly, both UEL and UECL are also set for expansion next year with match totals increasing from existing count of 282 games up to a staggering total count of approximately about342 games.
Rising hype of European competitions
Romania is expected to have at least one, potentially two, club sides participating in the European competitions this season. The reigning domestic champions FCSB are set to compete in the Europa League qualification playoffs. Even if they fail to qualify for UEL, they are guaranteed a spot in the Conference League. Meanwhile, CFR Cluj, who finished as runners-up domestically last season, will be competing in the Conference League qualifying play-off round.
Several Romanian national team players could also feature for clubs across these three competitions. These include Tottenham Hotspur defender Radu Drăgușin, Rangers midfielder Ianis Hagi and Trabzonspor forward Denis Drăguș (although Trabzonspor must still qualify through the play-off round).
This new deal between Prima Sport and Digi Sport with UEFA ensures that Romanian football fans will continue to enjoy high-quality coverage of their favorite teams and players competing on Europe's biggest stages.
