Canal+ has landed French rights to Europe’s top soccer competition.
The French media company will take over exclusive rights to the UEFA Champions League, beginning with the 2024-25 season.
- The three-year deal is worth $503 million per season.
- Canal+ shares rights with BeIN Sports for the current three-year cycle.
- UEFA receives $393 million annually on its current set of French media deals.
- BeIN Sports shows a larger proportion of games, but Canal+ has first-choice rights to 34 matches and 16 UEFA Europa League and Conference League games.
In April, Canal+ extended its relationship with another global sports property. The network inked a deal with Formula 1 through 2029. Canal+ currently pays around $65 million to show the racing series, and the next deal will reportedly be for a significantly higher price.
Swiss Switch
UEFA is switching to a new Swiss format in 2024, which will create a larger group stage and an additional French team. When the new deal kicks in, Canal+ will show 550 matches per season.
France requires the event to also be shown on free-to-air television. M6 will replace TF1 in that capacity in 2024 at a reported cost under $4.2 million per season.