Amazon extends broadcast deal with UEFA Champions League in Germany

E-commerce giant Amazon has extended its UEFA Champions League broadcast rights deal in Germany from 2024-25 to 2026-27, allowing it to continue offering a first-choice match on Tuesday night.

After saving the “A1” package for the existing three-year cycle in its first major football game in the German market, the online retailer has now secured the rights for the next three seasons.

Throughout the new three-year cycle, Amazon will be able to broadcast 17 exclusive games as the new “Swiss model” format is launched in Europe’s elite club tournament, with 36 teams competing in a single league. Tuesday night highlights are also included in the package.

According to DPA and DWDL.de in Germany, subscription broadcaster DAZN, which currently owns the sole live rights to Wednesday’s first-choice matches and all remaining live rights besides the Amazon match, has also retained the rights for three more seasons. DAZN also owns the pay TV rights to the final as well as exclusive rights to the UEFA Super Cup.

Amazon recently secured part of the Champions League rights in the UK from 2024-25, and it also has the rights to Wednesday’s game in Italy in the current cycle.

ZDF, Germany’s public broadcaster, currently has free-to-air privileges of the Champions League final, as well as match highlights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

On October 10, the company Team Marketing approved the Champions League tender (ITT) in German-speaking countries, with a first-round deadline set for November 14.

UEFA Champions League rights are now being sold alongside a new Champions League “opening tournament” and the UEFA Youth League. The privileges of the Europa League, the Europa Conference League and the new “UEFA European Super Cup” are now sold as a package.

RTL has secured exclusive rights to the Europa League and Europa Conference League in Germany for the 2021-24 season. The matches are shown on commercial broadcaster RTL and Nitro’s free-to-air channels, in addition to its subscription streaming company RTL+.

The 2021-22 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool attracted an average viewership of 8.4 million viewers (a 34.5% share) on ZDF. Olt News