Paramount Lands UEFA Champions League Rights in U.S. for $1.5B

Paramount Global is keeping U.S. rights to the UEFA Champions League — at a much higher price.

The CBS parent company re-upped on a six-year, $1.5 billion deal. The $250 million annual price tag represents significant growth from the previous pact of $100 million per year. Paramount has held U.S. rights since the 2019-20 season. 

The deal runs from 2024 to 2030.

• Amazon was the other finalist for the rights, a source familiar with the matter told Front Office Sports.
• UEFA also met with Fox, NBC, ESPN, Telemundo, Warner Bros. Discovery, DAZN, Apple, and Univision.
• Paramount was selected for its combined reach in linear and streaming, as well as its established relationship with UEFA. Paramount+ had 43.3 million subscribers at the end of the second quarter.

In It for the Long Haul

While European soccer rights typically operate on a three-year cycle, UEFA and Paramount saw value in continuity over a longer term. 

The deal came out of a tie-up between UEFA and the European Club Association, which selected Relevent Sports Group to handle its media rights negotiations.

“Creating an entirely new joint venture between UEFA and the European Club Association enabled an innovative six-year deal with Paramount Global that will allow us to fundamentally grow fandom across the fastest-growing soccer market in the world,” Relevent CEO Daniel Sillman told FOS.

UEFA will sell Spanish language rights separately — they’re currently the property of Univision for around $50 million annually.