London, November 20, 2025 – Paramount+ has won the fiercely contested auction for the majority of UEFA Champions League broadcasting rights in the United Kingdom and Ireland starting with the 2027-28 season, bringing an end to TNT Sports’ long-standing hold on Europe’s premier club competition.
The US-based streaming giant secured a six-year deal running until 2033 after submitting what industry sources described as a “knockout” bid that significantly exceeded the current package value of approximately £1 billion per season paid by TNT Sports. The victory marks Paramount’s most ambitious move yet into the European live sports market and represents the first time a major American streaming platform has taken primary control of Champions League coverage in one of UEFA’s five biggest territories.
TNT Sports (previously BT Sport) has been the home of the Champions League in the UK since 2015, having stunned the industry in 2013 by outbidding Sky Sports and ITV with an £897 million three-year agreement. That deal grew into a decade-long partnership that also encompassed exclusive rights to the Europa League and, later, the UEFA Europa Conference League. While Amazon Prime Video eroded TNT’s full exclusivity in 2022 by acquiring first-pick rights to one match per matchweek (usually the Tuesday night headline fixture), TNT remained the primary destination for the vast majority of games until now.
The new auction was orchestrated by UC3 – a joint venture between UEFA and the European Club Association – working alongside Relevent Football Partners, the American agency that replaced long-time rights distributor TEAM Marketing. Launched in October 2025, the tender covered the UK/Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, and Spain simultaneously and was designed to capitalise on the revamped Champions League format launching in 2027. The expanded competition will feature a 36-team single league phase with each club playing eight matches, creating more high-profile fixtures earlier in the season and making the rights package considerably more attractive to broadcasters and streamers.
Paramount’s aggressive strategy paid off not only in the UK but also in Germany, where it secured a similarly comprehensive package. The company already broadcasts every Champions League match in the United States through CBS Sports and the dedicated CBS Sports Golazo Network. Its highly praised studio coverage – fronted by Kate Abdo with analysts Thierry Henry, Micah Richards, and Jamie Carragher – has built a strong international following and is widely expected to form the backbone of the new UK service.
For British football fans, the change adds yet another subscription to an already crowded and expensive landscape. From 2027, full access to domestic and European club football will require payments to Sky Sports (the bulk of Premier League games), TNT Sports (remaining Premier League matches plus FA Cup), Amazon Prime Video (its retained Tuesday Champions League package), and now Paramount+. Industry observers warn that the combined annual cost for a household wanting every major competition could comfortably exceed £800–£900, intensifying debates about affordability and the long-term sustainability of the fragmented rights model.
In an effort to broaden reach and soften potential backlash, Paramount is understood to be planning a hybrid approach that will see selected matches and highlights broadcast free-to-air on Channel 5, the terrestrial network it owns in the UK. The company has pursued a similar strategy in other markets and recently expanded its British sports portfolio with a multi-year agreement to stream UFC events.
TNT Sports retains significant domestic strength despite the setback. Its joint Premier League deal with Sky runs until the end of the 2028-29 season, and a new four-year FA Cup agreement signed in 2024 guarantees live coverage of every third-round tie played outside the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout window. A TNT spokesperson said the broadcaster remains “incredibly proud” of its Champions League legacy and will continue to deliver “world-class coverage” of the competitions it still holds.
The outcome has been hailed by UEFA as validation of both its commercial strategy and the 2027 format overhaul. With global interest in club football continuing to surge – particularly ahead of the expanded 2026 World Cup – the governing body is on course to smash its previous €5 billion annual revenue target from the three men’s club competitions.
For supporters, the transition brings mixed emotions: nostalgia for TNT’s familiar presentation style sits alongside excitement at the prospect of the lively, personality-driven CBS model arriving on British screens. One era is ending, but the Champions League’s status as the most lucrative and glamorous club tournament on the planet shows no sign of diminishing.
