11 September 2023 - 3:19 PM
IMAGO | UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi attending a UEFA Champions League match between PSG and Bayern Munich in 2022.
Are UEFA heading for a multi-billion Champions League broadcast shortfall?
- New Champions League broadcast deal had targeted a 40 per cent growth in rights values from 2024, but the broadcast market has been less receptive and now key executives are reeling back on numbers.
- A revised forecast has predicted TV rights will rise by 25 per cent for UEFA Club competitions: But with 51 per cent more games, 12.5 per cent more clubs competing and a 42 per cent increase in solidarity payments will the jump be enough?
- Why it matters: An enhanced TV deal was seen as key to keeping elite clubs happy after the Super League plot, but with a €1.5 billion gap plus increased solidarity payments to non-competing clubs, discontent may increase.
- The perspective: Broadcast sources tell us they are less enamoured with new Swiss competition model and would prefer to spend their sports broadcast budgets on “superior” Premier League rights.
UEFA is facing a shortfall of around €500 million annually in its projections on a new TV deal for its club competitions.
The European governing body had targeted a 40 per cent increase on the new deal which starts next year, with some projections suggesting that as much as €5 billion could be generated annually – an increase of 60 per cent.
The bumper new deal was seen as a way of assuaging the discontent of elite clubs who see themselves as driving rights values and who
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