This is good news for all Canal + group subscribers and football fans. According to information from L’Équipe confirmed by AFP, the encrypted channel has retained all of the TV rights to the European Cups for French territory, including those for the Champions League, for the period 2027-2031.
Canal +, which paid 480 million euros per season to broadcast the three European competitions in France (Champions League, Europa League, Conference League), kept its exclusivity at a price “slightly lower than the current contract”, a source close to the matter told AFP. According to another source, the channel will now have to pay around 450 million euros per season to broadcast all of the European Cups.
Canal + therefore managed to defy the threat of global platforms while UEFA wanted to attract them with a prize reserved for the best poster of the week in the Champions League.
5 billion euros per year
The overall objective of the European body is to exceed revenues of 5 billion euros per year for the broadcasting rights of the European Cups on a global scale, compared to 4.4 billion euros currently (including 3.6 billion euros annually for the Champions League alone) for the cycle started in 2024. UEFA had initially set Tuesday as the deadline for the submission of offers, before launching a second round which ended this Thursday.
Retaining the rights to the three European Cups, including the prestigious Champions League, is very good news for Canal +, assured of keeping its main football product while the channel has no longer broadcast Ligue 1 since the 2024-2025 season.
According to a third source close to the matter, certain Champions League matches could be sublicensed to BeIN Sports, which Canal + distributes exclusively.
UEFA, which has not yet communicated on this call for tenders, continues to eye the major digital players in addition to its traditional broadcasters, while Amazon Prime signed in July 2024 a global agreement over 11 years for 17 billion euros with the North American Basketball League (NBA), and Apple has joined forces with MLS, the North American football (soccer) championship.