Uefa is anticipating significantly higher UK viewing figures for next week's Champions League final compared to recent seasons, despite TNT Sport's controversial decision to withhold free-to-air coverage for the first time in 34 years since the competition's rebranding.
Viewing Figures and Subscriber Boost
Over the past two seasons, an average audience of about 1 million watched the Champions League final for free on TNT's streaming service, discovery+. However, HBO Max, which will broadcast the Paris Saint-Germain versus Arsenal final alongside TNT Sports, is now available in more than 10 million UK households. This widespread accessibility is expected to drive up viewership numbers.
TNT's viewing figures for the 2024 and 2025 finals were approximately 2.5 million, a figure that should receive a boost on the upcoming Saturday due to the presence of an English club for the first time in three years.
Background on Free-to-Air Coverage
As revealed on Monday, TNT has chosen to stream the game on HBO, which requires a minimum subscription of £4.99 per month. This follows two years of offering the final for free on discovery+ alongside its main channel coverage. From the 2015-16 season until 2022-23, the Champions League final was made available for free on YouTube by the UK rights holder, BT Sport. Prior to that, ITV had screened the final since the European Cup was rebranded as the Champions League in 1992.
Uefa's Stance and Criticism
While some within Uefa have privately accused TNT of breaking the spirit of a contract that requires "best endeavours" to ensure free availability of club finals, the European governing body's commercial team is reportedly satisfied with the decision. They believe it will ultimately deliver a larger audience.
HBO Max has attracted millions of subscribers since its UK launch in March and is available at no extra cost for Sky Sports and Amazon Prime customers, extending its potential reach to over 10 million households. Despite the limited uptake of TNT's free offering in recent years, the decision to introduce a charge for the final has faced widespread criticism over the past 24 hours.
Labour MP Jon Trickett expressed his disapproval on X, stating, "All major sporting finals should be free to watch on UK television. I’d like to see the government take action to ensure future events like the Champions League final are accessible to as many people as possible."
