List of UEFA Champions League broadcasters

This is a list of television broadcasters which provide coverage of the UEFA Champions League, European football's top level continental competition.

The competition attracts a huge television audience, not just in Europe, but throughout the world. The 2006 Final, FC Barcelona versus Arsenal, attracted the 4th biggest global TV audience for a sports event in that year, averaging 86 million viewers (the total audience, 209 million, was actually the 3rd highest of 2006, only behind the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final (603 million) and the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Olympic Games (249 million). [cite news | title = World’s most watched TV sports events: 2006 Rank & Trends report| publisher = Initiative | date = 2007-01-19 | url = http://initiative.com/static/prDec2006.html|accessdate = 2007-05-26 ]

Format of Rights Packages

Rights to show the UEFA Champions League are awarded directly by UEFA to broadcasters on a territory-by-territory (country-by-country) basis, and in all territories a pay television broadcaster holds the majority, if not all, the rights. In territories which are members of the European Union, at least one match every "Matchday" (a Matchday being comprised of both the Tuesday and Wednesday night) must be broadcast on a free tv channel. Typically in EU territories, the free TV broadcaster (which cannot be a commercial-free channel) will be awarded the right to the ‘1st pick’ of matches either over the entire Matchday or for a single night. This means that the free TV broadcaster is given priority over the pay TV broadcaster in determining which match they will be broadcasting, so in effect the free TV broadcaster will be able to pick the match which it perceives to be most attractive to their audience. Both the free and pay channels carry the final.

In territories where teams from the territory are regularly in the competition, it is always the case that free TV broadcasters will pick matches involving teams from their own territory given that this will be of far greater interest to the audience in that territory. For example, TF1 in France will pick matches involving French teams if they are still in the competition.

Also, although pay TV broadcasters always hold the rights to broadcast the majority (if not all) of the matches, it does "not" mean they will broadcast them all. This is especially the case during the group stage where 8 matches are played on any one night (all matches kick-off at 20.45 CET, with the exception of matches held in Russia). This is due to limitations in a broadcaster’s capacity to be able to broadcast matches, so for example, Sky Sports in the United Kingdom will always broadcast every match for which they have the rights to do so – utilising its ownership of the Sky Digital satellite television service on which it broadcasts, whilst Sport TV in Portugal will broadcast a selection of the matches it has the rights to, but not all, as it has limited broadcasting capacity on the TV Cabo satellite and cable television service.

Some broadcasters, notably including Rede Record and Sky Sports, offer matches in HDTV.

International broadcasters

¹TSN and RDS do not always carry the same matches. Regardless, they simulcast games televised by ESPN in the United States. As ESPN holds the distribution rights in Canada, other broadcasters may acquire second-choice or lower games.

²As the Republic of Ireland shares the Sky Digital satellite television service with the United Kingdom, Irish viewers also have access to UK broadcasters including ITV and Sky Sports, and are thus able to watch UK coverage.

²Premiere acquired all rights for the German market on the condition that they broadcast one 1st pick match each Matchday on Free TV. Premiere later took over DSF for this purpose.

³Like the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus shares the NOVA satellite television service with Greece, and so Cypriot viewers also have access to Greek broadcasters showing UCL coverage.

⁴TV6 is free through terrestrial television.

⁵ESPN has the first, third, and sometimes fourth-choice of game in the United States. ESPN2 usually carries the primary game for English-speakers live, while ESPN Deportes carries one live for Spanish-speakers. ESPN Classic airs a second game in English outside ESPN2's broadcast window. Setanta has the second-pick and is permitted to compete with ESPN2's game. Both Setanta and ESPN Deportes broadcast other games on tape delay. ESPN360 simulcasts any match carried on the other ESPN channels for broadband users.

⁶Record News did not show the same Wednesdays matches of Rede Record .And did not show this matches live. Show UEFA Champions League Weekly Magazine as Rede Record.

References