The UEFA Champions League includes teams from dozens of countries, and its fan base extends even further.
The league secured a $600 million deal with BeIN Sports to broadcast games from the Champions League and other UEFA tournaments across the Middle East and North Africa.
The three-year deal, which starts in the 2021-2022 season, will retain BeIN’s exclusive rights for the Champions League in the region.
The Qatar-based media group is a lesser-known but undeniably prominent sports broadcaster.
- In December, BeIN secured Premier League rights in the MENA region through 2025 in a $500 million deal.
- The network is also a major rights holder in cricket, tennis, rugby, and other sports.
- BeIN held exclusive rights to broadcast La Liga in the U.S. and Canada, but in May the league agreed to buy back those rights. Then ESPN struck a reported $1.4 billion deal to broadcast La Liga through 2029.
The deal with UEFA is for slightly less annually than BeIN paid on its last contract.
This was expected by analysts because Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and other European leagues have recently seen a dip in the value of their rights.
