Paramount Makes Another Splashy Move: Studio Wins Rights To Show Champions League In UK & Germany Thanks To $1BN+ Deal

Paramount continues to make bold moves. In a splashy play, the studio has won the rights to show the Champions League in the UK and Germany following a heated auction, we have confirmed with sources.

The Guardian was first to break news of the deal, which is set to run from 2027 – 2031, and is reported to have cost the studio well in excess of the current $1.3BN deal in place with WBD’s TNT.

In the UK, Amazon Prime will have first pick of Tuesday matches after Jeff Bezos’ studio beat out bids from other streamers, including Disney and Netflix, according to the Guardian. Paramount, which is the home of the Champions League in the U.S., will show all other games in the UK.

Coverage on Paramount-owned CBS in the U.S. has proved popular, with presenter Kate Abdo and pundits Jamie Carragher, Thierry Henry and Micah Richards forming an established line-up.

Paramount will take over UK Champions League coverage from Warner Discovery-owned TNT. And it’ll mean that local soccer fans will have to fork out yet another subscription to watch games in a market where Sky, TNT, Amazon and DAZN all have a slice of the pie. It’s likely that Paramount’s coverage will come with the launch of a new channel.

The auction was run by UC3, the joint venture between European football’s governing body Uefa and the European Clubs Association, which runs the Champions League, and its new commercial rights distributor, Relevent Football Partners.

As we’ve reported, Paramount is expected to put in another massive bid to buy TNT Sports owner Warner Bros Discovery in coming days.

Paramount declined to comment.