Major broadcasting change with Champions League to be shown on new channel in UK for first time in nine years
FOOTBALL fans will only just be realising a huge change to next season’s Champions League coverage in the UK.
TNT Sports have had the rights to Europe’s premier competition since 2015 – with the tournament having previously been shown on ITV and Sky Sports.
They have held exclusive rights to all live fixtures and highlights since 2018, but that is set to change next season after a pair of deals were struck back in 2022.
Amazon Prime will broadcast 17 Champions League matches on Tuesday nights.
And there will also be a free-to-air option for UK viewers for the first time in nearly a decade.
That is because the BBC will show a Match of the Day-style highlights programme on Wednesdays as part of a three-year deal with Uefa.
It means the Champions League, which is changing format from the 2024/25 campaign onwards, will be broadcast on the BBC for the first time since 1994.
Europa League and Europa Conference League coverage will remain exclusively on TNT Sports.
The Champions League will expand from 32 to 36 teams next season, with eight group-stage matches rather than six.
One league consisting of all 36 teams will result in the top eight automatically reaching the knockout stages.
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Those who place between ninth and 24th will then play a two-legged showdown to fill the remaining positions.
But clashes with domestic fixtures threaten to create a chaotic schedule.
Teams face the potential of THREE midweek clashes between European competition and the Carabao Cup.