European clubs as Uefa looks to streaming services

Europe's top clubs could cash in on streaming rights as Uefa looks to raise over £4bn per year from its next TV deals.

Officials from the governing body believe the next broadcast rights sale for Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League games could bring in a minimum of €5bn (£4.3bn) annually.

The current rights, sold in 2024, are worth about £2.9bn per year and new deals will come into effect from 2027.

Rights are due to be put out to tender this month and are likely to involve a six-year commitment - double the current length.

One first-pick game per round could be shown by a streaming service, such as Amazon, Disney or Netflix, although it is unclear how long that would last into the competition.

Broadcasters will be able to bid for rights in multiple markets - England, Spain, France, Italy and Germany are the top five for now - at the same time.

Champions League clubs currently earn almost 75% of the revenue from the Uefa rights sales, with 17% going to Europa League clubs and 8% to sides in the Conference League.

TNT and Amazon Prime show live European games in the UK with BBC Sport holding rights for highlights online, along with a highlights show on BBC One.

The 36-club league format for all three competitions, which was introduced last season, is not changing.

Without directly mentioning any future broadcast deal, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin addressed clubs at the European Football Clubs' general assembly in Rome on Wednesday.

Ceferin said: "Together we are building something unique with ambition, to deliver the most engaging football, the most innovative and the most accessible to expand our core revenue streams.

"[We want] to inspire new fans to follow our competitions, to drive engagement with new audiences especially in an ever-changing media and streaming right landscape and to make the most of digital platforms and bring the game closer together for ever.

"This is how we will keep European football at the very top."

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