In a dramatic shift for British football broadcasting, TNT Sports is set to lose its rights to screen the UEFA Champions League from 2027. According to a report from The Times, the American streaming service Paramount+ is poised to take over the coverage of Europe's premier club competition in the United Kingdom.
A Major Broadcasting Shake-Up
This change signals the end of an era for TNT Sports, which has been the home of the Champions League, Europa League, and the Conference League since the 2015/16 season. The broadcaster originally secured the rights in 2013 with a massive £873 million deal, wresting them from Sky Sports. The current bidding process for the UK and other major European markets like Germany, Italy, Spain, and France is being managed by Relevent Football and is described as a highly complex operation.
For Paramount+, this move represents a significant strategic expansion. While the platform has historically invested in films and entertainment, it has recently begun aggressively building its sports portfolio. Viewers in the United States can already watch the Champions League on the service, and it has also secured a deal to broadcast UFC events. The platform is believed to be bidding for rights in several other European countries.
What This Means for Football Fans
The immediate consequence for UK viewers is that they will likely need to subscribe to another streaming service if they wish to continue watching the Champions League from 2027. This adds to the growing fragmentation of sports content across multiple platforms.
Despite this loss, TNT Sports will retain significant football properties, including rights to Premier League matches and the FA Cup. In another related development, Amazon Prime is set to land the first pick of Tuesday matches in major European competitions thanks to a new streaming deal with UEFA. Amazon is currently in a three-year deal to exclusively broadcast 17 first-pick matches from the competition each season.
The news breaks as the Champions League prepares to resume after a two-week international break. The upcoming fixtures feature several high-profile matches, including Chelsea vs Barcelona, Manchester City vs Bayer Leverkusen, and Newcastle United's trip to Marseille.
