UEFA, the continental soccer body, has finalized broadcast rights for its major club competitions across several European markets for the 2027-28 to 2030-31 cycle. The new agreements cover territories such as Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland.
Disney+ is a notable new entrant in this cycle. The streaming service will broadcast the elite UEFA Champions League (UCL) for the first time after securing rights in Sweden. This move sees Disney+ taking over from Nordic media giant Viaplay which currently holds UCL rights in Sweden until the end of the 2026-27 season.
However, Viaplay has managed to retain UCL rights in Denmark for the next cycle. In addition to this changeover, Disney+ has renewed its exclusive deal to show UEFA’s secondary Europa League and third-tier Conference League in both Sweden and Denmark.
DAZN expands portfolio with new deals
International sports streaming service DAZN has also made significant strides by renewing its deal in Portugal and adding Austria to its portfolio for the next four-year period. In Austria, DAZN will share broadcasting rights with pay-TV giant Sky.
DAZN has extended its deal, securing the main broadcaster status for UCL matches. This agreement includes coverage of almost all matches, totaling 186 in number. However, one Tuesday game each matchday will be excluded from DAZN's broadcasting schedule. On top match days, DAZN will share the broadcasting rights with Sky. In addition to this arrangement with DAZN and Sky, Canal Plus has renewed its contract to continue airing Europa League and Conference League games exclusively.
For Austrian viewers, there are several changes on the horizon. ProSiebenSat.1’s Joyn streaming service and Puls 4 linear channel have secured co-exclusive rights for both the UCL final and Super Cup. Currently, Canal Plus holds a package of UCL rights in conjunction with Sky through the 2026-27 season. However, from the 2027-28 campaign onwards, Sky's coverage of UEFA club competitions will significantly reduce.
DAZN and SportTV continue partnership in Portugal
In Portugal, DAZN’s extended deal will see the streaming service broadcast most matches, including those featuring Portuguese clubs. Pay-TV broadcaster SportTV has also renewed its contract and will continue to have the first-choice game each matchday. SportTV will co-exclusively show the UCL final with Brazilian sports marketing agency LiveMode. Additionally, DAZN retains rights to Europa League, Conference League, and Youth League matches.
Across Europe, renewed agreements for UCL broadcasting have been finalized in several countries. In Norway, TV2 has successfully retained its exclusive rights. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, Swisscom remains the primary rightsholder with the Blue Sport channel continuing as the main broadcaster. Canal Plus also maintains its position in Switzerland by continuing to show one match per day on a co-exclusive basis. Over in Romania, Digi Sport has extended its deal to broadcast all UCL matches.
Among UEFA’s new partners is commercial broadcaster Nelonen in Finland which has secured exclusive rights to all UCL games. UEFA began its tender process for rights across several territories in early March with a deadline of April 21 set for submissions. This was followed by a rights auction managed by sports agency Relevent Football Partners and UC3 - a joint venture between UEFA and European Club Association (ECA).
Rights were already allocated in the 'Big Five' European markets (UK, Spain, Italy, Germany & France) late last year - these were managed by Relevent who replaced Team Marketing as UEFA's sales partner in late 2024. Preferred bidders have also been selected for Albania, Kosovo & Japan along with in-ship & inflight rights held by Sport24 service since inception of this category.
