March 4 – A month after launching the tender for UEFA men’s club competitions media rights in the Netherlands amid speculation that the three men’s competitions – Champions League, Europa League and Conference League – would not remain with a single broadcaster, UC3 has said that it has entered a period of exclusivity with incumbent Ziggo Sport.
The exclusive negotiation period with Ziggo Sport is for all three men’s club competitions in for the 2027-31 cycle.
At the end of January an ‘invitation to submit offer’ (ISO) was issued for a three-season Champions League package, with a separate tender released simultaneously for the Europa League and Conference League.
The bid process is being overseen by UC3, UEFA’s commercial joint venture, in partnership with London-based agency Relevent Football Partners.
Ziggo Sport already holds exclusive rights to all three UEFA club competitions for the 2024-25 to 2026-27 cycle. However, Dutch outlet Vandaag Inside had reported that UEFA is now pushing for separate broadcasters, following declining Europa League and Conference League audiences under a single pay-TV operator.
One of the issues with going with a single pay-TV operator is that the lower viewing figures do not support the large sponsorship fees, in terms of visibility, being paid.
“They [Ziggo Sport] have much lower viewing figures and generate far fewer eyeballs. Heineken pays over a hundred million a year to acquire those rights … So, they simply want visibility,” commented sports marketing executive Chris Woerts.
UC3 said that no further comment would be made during the exclusivity period.
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