UEFA is targeting a jump in annual broadcast revenue to at least €5 billion from its current €4.4 billion, positioning the Champions League to become the most lucrative club competition in global football.1 This ambitious goal comes as streaming giant Netflix explores bidding for rights to broadcast one key match per round starting with the 2027-28 season.
Netflix’s interest follows its successful foray into live sports, including the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight, which peaked at 65 million streams. Winning a portion of the Champions League rights would give the platform a massive weekly global event to drive engagement.
New Broadcast Strategy
To hit the €5 billion target, UEFA and the European Football Clubs (EFC) organisation are launching a new, fragmented broadcast model:
- Global Single-Match Rights: For the first time, a global broadcaster will be offered the right to stream one premier Champions League game per round, a package Netflix is reportedly considering. This mirrors existing deals held by Amazon in some markets.
- Traditional Rights: The remaining matches, along with the Europa and Conference Leagues, will be sold to traditional broadcasters like Sky, TNT Sports, and DAZN, who will compete for rights across multiple major markets simultaneously.
The Impact of the €5 Billion Target
Achieving the €5 billion target would have two major effects:
- Surpassing Rivals: It would push the Champions League’s revenue past the English Premier League’s current domestic and overseas deals (around £3.6 billion annually), cementing its place as the financially dominant club competition.
- Increased Prize Money: The higher revenue pool would automatically increase prize money for participating clubs, further widening the financial gap between Europe’s elite clubs and those in smaller leagues.
While UEFA insists “solidarity payments” will grow, critics fear that the influx of streaming money will primarily benefit the biggest teams, deepening their competitive dominance. For fans, the move will likely lead to greater fragmentation of viewing platforms and increased subscription costs.
As UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin put it, digital platforms are key partners in expanding football’s reach, but Netflix’s entry is guaranteed to raise bidding prices, making UEFA’s €5 billion goal increasingly attainable.
