TNT Sports lose Champions League broadcast rights as US streaming giant takes over

TNT Sports has lost the television broadcast rights to the Champions League, with Paramount+ taking over the airing of the Europe’s top club competition from 2027 to 2031.

Uefa has confirmed its preferred bidders for the next cycle of commercial rights and the American-owned streaming platform has won the battle for the majority of Champions League games in the UK.

Amazon Prime Video will continue to hold the first-pick of Tuesday’s Champions League games but, in a further change, Sky Sports will take over as the exclusive broadcaster of matches from the Europa and Conference Leagues.

TNT Sports has shown the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League since the 2015-16 season after beating Sky Sports and ITV to the rights for the first time in 2013. They still have rights to some Premier League and FA Cup games until the end of 2029.

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Paramount+ are already the leading broadcaster of Champions League games in the United States, with the CBS Golazo show starring Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, Micah Richards and Kate Scott proving popular with fans and generating huge social media interest.

But it will mean football fans will have to purchase another subscription to watch all the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League matches airing on TV.

Adding a fourth subscription would increase the monthly and yearly price to watch football on fans who have already been vocal in their displeasure at the total cost of following the biggest competitions in the UK.

Preferred bidders for UK market