BBC Match of the Day shows Champions League highlights for the first time and Amazon has also bought the rights to live matches following the expansion of UEFA’s flagship club competition.
The Telegraph has learned that the historic deals for the 2024-27 seasons will be announced on Friday as part of the biggest uproar in tournament coverage since BT Sport came on the scene.
The BBC has bought a highlights package for Wednesday night, while tech giant Amazon will get the first selection of live games on Tuesday night, with BT keeping all other matches and highlights after owning the exclusive rights to all UEFA club competitions since 2015.
Indeed, the company has bought more games than ever before as part of a deal that could be worth a total of more than £1.4bn to UEFA – an increase from the current £1.2bn.
The sale of the rights for the 2024-27 seasons has been completed just weeks after ratifying the revamped Champions League format, increasing the number of matches from 125 to 189 and from 32 to 36.
Like BT Sport – which is entering into a joint venture with Discovery – Amazon will now own the rights to both the Premier League and the Champions League, the two most prized assets of club football.
It was only last month that UEFA confirmed that clubs in the new group stage of the Champions League would each play eight matches as part of its new ‘Swiss model’.
That is two more than under the current formula, but two less than previously planned.
The chairman, Aleksander Ceferin, said at the time: “Today’s decisions are the end of an extensive consultation process in which we have listened to the ideas of fans, players, coaches, national associations, clubs and leagues, to name a few, with the aim of providing the best solution for the development and success of European football, both at home and on the international club stage.
“We are confident that the chosen format strikes the right balance and that it will improve the competitive balance and generate solid revenues that can be distributed to clubs, leagues and grassroots football across our continent, while enhancing the appeal and popularity of our club competitions will increase. †
Marc Allera, the chief executive of BT’s consumer division, added: “As long as the matches are of high quality, the more matches the better. I think the new format looks like there will be more matches with bigger teams sooner. And I think that’s a very positive thing. And I think there will also be less fallow periods in the year where you don’t have that European football.
“The Champions League and European rights for us have been very successful and are a big part of our portfolio. Customers love it. I know UEFA also sees how brilliant we have been as a partner on a global level.”