Amazon to share Champions League rights with BT Sport

Amazon has won the rights to Tuesday night games, with BT Sport airing Champions League matches on Wednesday

By Jenny Priestley

Published: June 30, 2022 Updated: July 4, 2022

Amazon has won the rights to Tuesday night games, with BT Sport airing Champions League matches on Wednesday

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Amazon will share the rights to the UEFA Champions League with BT Sport from the start of the 2024/25 season.

The streamer has won the rights to the Tuesday night top pick matches; with BT Sport keeping Wednesday night's games.

The BBC has secured the rights to air highlights from the Wednesday matches.

Amazon said it intends to stream all matches featuring English teams during the group stages and up until the semi-finals, should they progress that far.

Despite reports suggesting the two broadcasters might agree a deal that also included the UEFA Europa League and Europa Conference, BT Sport has retained the rights to both competitions.

The addition of UEFA Champions League football is a truly momentous moment for Prime Video in the UK, said Alex Green, MD Prime Video Sport Europe. Since 2018, we've seen millions of Prime members in the UK enjoy live sport on Prime Video, and it's that passion and energy that has led us to this exciting next step. We can't wait to bring fans the headline fixture of European football's most prestigious competition every Tuesday and we'll have more details to share about our broadcast in the future.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA marketing director, added, Prime Video is a valued UEFA Champions League media partner in Italy and Germany and we are excited to be extending this relationship to the UK, another major UEFA club competition market. Amazon has ambitious plans across the global sporting industry and we look forward to the innovative ways in which it will broadcast European club football in the UK market.

Media analyst Paolo Pescatore told TVBEurope the decision to split the rights is a win for all parties .

While BT Sport loses exclusivity, it provides long term certainty going into the joint venture with Warner Bros Discovery, providing fans with more games and for less money.

More players means fragmentation, but this should not be a huge issue. Amazon is now establishing itself as a key provider of sports in the UK as it continues to steadily beef up its programming. This will help drive Prime subscriptions and sales even further with more live sport through the year, added Pescatore.

A surprising winner is the BBC which will be looking to replicate the success of Match of The Day. More sport on free-to-air will be a winner for all viewers and makes premium European football more accessible.

LINK:	https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/amazon-set-to-share-champions-leagu...
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