UEFA doubles TV rights revenues in two rights cycles
October 24, 2017
UEFA, Europe’s football governing body, has doubled television rights revenues for both its national and club team franchises over the last two contractual cycles, according to Guy-Laurent Epstein.
A proportion of the increase is a result of growing competition for rights between different platforms, plus UEFA’s decision to restructure key events, including the launch of the upcoming Nations League and expansion of the European Championships.
Epstein, UEFA’s marketing director, told Sportel’s Expert Panel 1 that a key reason behind the evolution “was the decision to centralise all rights because this allowed us to improve the scheduling of games and meant broadcasters could tell a better story.”
Epstein acknowledged that increasing levels of competition have made it difficult for traditional free-to-air broadcasters to secure UEFA rights but believes a shift towards pay-TV is yet to negatively affect his organisation’s sponsorship revenues.
He added: “For brands, being associated with UEFA competitions like the Champions League and Europa League is not just about generating media value.”
The Nations League is set to launch in September 2018 and will aim to rid international football of meaningless friendlies in favour of a new, competitive tier system.
