Back to Headlines
Business
Apr 30, 2026
Analyzed by Llama- 4 Scout 17B 16E Instruct

Disney+ Secures Live Men's Champions League Games in Major European Markets

AI Summary
Disney+ has secured live rights for men's Champions League matches in several European countries, including Sweden, marking the first time the company has bought Champions League rights. This move demonstrates the growing appeal of the competition to broadcasters and streamers.

The Champions League Rights Auction

Disney+ has secured live rights for men’s Champions League matches for the first time, with Uefa attracting a new buyer in the auction of broadcast packages for its flagship club competition.

Disney has been named as the preferred bidder in several European countries, one of which is understood to be Sweden, in the auction of 19 TV markets for the 2027-31 cycle that concluded this week.

Disney's Growing Interest in Football Rights

Disney’s success is significant for the industry because it will be the first time the US company has bought Champions League rights and demonstrates the widening appeal of the competition to broadcasters and streamers.

Disney’s interest in football rights has been building for some time, and is likely to grow. The company holds exclusive pan-European rights for the women’s Champions League until 2030 and Europa League and Conference League rights in Sweden and Denmark.

The Financial Impact of Champions League Rights

Uefa and UC3 last year secured increases of between 20% and 30% on their existing deals in the auction for the biggest five European markets of the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy and France, and are understood to have achieved further double-digit growth in the current round of sales.

Uefa is projecting that the total value of its TV rights will exceed €5bn (£4.3bn) a year when the tenders are concluded, and as the Guardian reported this month it also expects to bring in more than €1bn annually through commercial deals.

The Future of Sports Broadcasting

This outcome will be welcomed by the clubs and domestic leagues because it demonstrates the increasing demand for football rights and will not divert resources from major rights holders such as Sky Sports, TNT Sports or Dazn.

The recent auction was for Champions League rights in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Central America, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, South America, Sweden, and Switzerland.