Paramount secures Champions League rights in billion-pound deal as TNT Sports loses European football

Paramount has won the majority of the rights to show the Champions League in the UK and Ireland. 

Its four-year deal will begin in the 2027/28 season, and the BBC has reported that it has paid, “well in excess,” of the near £1 billion currently being paid by TNT Sports for the rights. TNT Sports has also lost the rights to the Europa League and Conference League, which will now be shown by Sky Sports, but will continue to hold Premier League and FA Cup rights. 

TNT Sports gave a statement to The Guardian, hinting that it was unwilling to pay what Paramount did: “Ultimately we remained committed to the approach that made financial sense for our business, and for our customers. TNT Sports retains a strong portfolio of football with our coverage of the Premier League, newly acquired Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Women’s FA Cup rights.”

Prime Video will continue to show the first-pick game on Tuesday nights for the same four-year period, exclusively in the UK and co-exclusively in Ireland. It also has similar deals in Italy and Germany. 

“This is an important moment for our service and fantastic news for our Prime members in the UK, Ireland, Germany and Italy, securing the biggest games in European football through to 2031.” said Alex Green, MD Prime Video Sport, International. “The combination of must-watch matches and the wide audience of Prime is delivering record viewership of the Champions League across Europe, and we will continue to raise the bar in our coverage. The new four-year deal gives us long-term certainty and allows us to innovate even more deeply for fans, such as the introduction of Prime Vision this season.”