UEFA, European football's governing body, has initiated the media rights tender process for its club competitions for the 2024-27 cycle in Canada. The rights on offer include the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League for the 2024-25, 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons.
The sales process is being managed by Team Marketing, UEFA’s partner agency for media and commercial rights sales across its club competitions.
Interestingly, Team Marketing is overseeing two separate sales processes:
- The UEFA Champions League rights, which include a new Champions League ‘opening tournament’ and the UEFA Youth League
- The Europa League, Conference League and the new Europa Super Cup rights, which are being sold separately
The tender process commenced on October 17, with a deadline for bid submissions set for 5pm (CET) on November 21.
Current rights holders
Currently, the exclusive rights to all UEFA club competitions in Canada are held by DAZN, a global streaming service. However, with the new tender process, there's a possibility for a change in the broadcasting landscape for UEFA competitions in Canada.
UEFA has already secured deals in the US, with Paramount Global retaining English-language rights to the Champions League through a six-year deal worth $1.5 billion. Additionally, TelevisaUnivision has renewed its Spanish-language rights.
On top of that, UEFA recently launched its tender processes in Belgium and Portugal, with bid deadlines of October 16 and October 26, respectively. These are the first European tender processes for the next rights cycle since early June when UEFA opened one in the Republic of Ireland.
UEFA's expansion in major markets
Contracts have already been signed across major markets in Europe, including the UK, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. The most recent deal was between UEFA and RTL Hungary. Outside of Europe, Australia is among the markets where a deal has been agreed.
From the 2024-25 season, the Champions League will adopt a new single-league format. The competition will expand from 32 to 36 teams and will feature 189 matches instead of the current 125. This expansion is likely to increase the value and appeal of the media rights for these competitions.
The opening of the media rights tender process for UEFA's top-tier club competitions in Canada marks an exciting time for football fans. The potential change in broadcasting rights could bring about a new era of football viewing in Canada.
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