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TNT Sports will no longer hold the rights to broadcast Champions League football from 2027, with Paramount+ reportedly winning a major bidding battle to take over coverage of Europe’s premier club competition.
TNT, formerly BT Sport, has shown Champions League action since 2015 after striking an £897 million deal in 2013 to wrest the rights from Sky Sports. The broadcaster has also covered the Europa League and later the UEFA Conference League. Its exclusive hold on the Champions League began to loosen in 2022 when Amazon Prime secured the rights to one game per week. But from 2027 TNT will lose the tournament entirely, with multiple outlets reporting that Paramount+ has secured a six-year agreement. Sources told The Telegraph that the US-owned streaming platform was a “knockout” bidder and paid “a very large premium” to beat TNT Sports. The current package of Champions League rights is valued at nearly £3 billion per season.
Paramount already owns CBS Sports, which broadcasts the Champions League in the United States with a presenting team led by Kate Abdo alongside Micah Richards, Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher. The development is likely to mean fans will face yet another subscription fee on top of Sky Sports, TNT, DAZN and Amazon. Netflix and Disney+ were also said to have expressed interest, with Netflix buoyed by its reach after airing Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson last year and agreeing to stream Paul vs. Anthony Joshua this week.
According to The Telegraph, Paramount plans to make selected matches available free-to-air via Channel 5, a subsidiary of the company, as part of its push to expand its sports portfolio. Paramount+ has also recently acquired rights to UFC events as part of a broader investment strategy.
TNT Sports still holds Premier League rights until 2029 and last year signed a new four-year FA Cup deal that ensures every third-round match outside the 3 p.m. blackout will be shown live.
