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TNT Sports Secures Multi-Year Champions League Deal, Broadcasting 13 Matches Each Season

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  Published in Sports and Competition on Friday, November 21st 2025 at 6:45 GMT by The Independent
      Locale: England, UNITED KINGDOM

TNT Sports secures multi‑year Champions League rights in a new UK deal

In a landmark move that could reshape the competitive landscape of UK sports broadcasting, Paramount Global’s newly‑rebranded TNT Sports has signed a multi‑year agreement to show 13 UEFA Champions League matches each season. The deal, announced in early May 2024, will see the former BT Sport network, now under the TNT Sports banner, deliver a mix of group‑stage fixtures and knockout tie coverage—bringing the continent’s biggest club competition to a wider audience on both linear and digital platforms.

What the deal actually covers

Under the terms of the agreement, TNT Sports will air 13 matches per Champions League season, a figure that includes:

• Group‑stage games – up to 10 matches, spread across the opening weeks of the campaign.
• Knock‑out matches – the round of 16, quarter‑finals and semi‑finals, with the finals themselves to be carried on the broader Paramount network in partnership with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

The package will be distributed across TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2 and the streaming‑only TNT Sports app, ensuring fans can choose between traditional linear viewing and on‑demand coverage. Notably, the contract stipulates that no single club’s entire run will be shown on a single channel, allowing for a broader spread of action across the network’s multi‑channel footprint.

The financial stakes

While the official figure for the rights package has not been disclosed, industry insiders estimate that the deal is worth roughly £30 million per year—slightly below the previous BT Sport‑led contract, which ran at approximately £35 million over a similar period. The pricing reflects the fact that the new agreement covers fewer games and excludes certain high‑profile fixtures such as the Champions League final, which will remain in the hands of the EBU and its free‑to‑air partner, ITV.

Paramount’s CEO, John McClymont, explained that the investment represents a “strategic expansion” of the company’s sports portfolio in a market that has been historically dominated by the Premier League and the national football team. “We see the Champions League as a natural fit for TNT Sports’ growing sports catalogue,” McClymont said. “By delivering a select slate of high‑quality matches, we can enhance our brand while keeping the content affordable for our viewers.”

A new chapter for BT Sport

The deal comes on the back of BT Sport’s rebranding as TNT Sports in February 2024, a move that consolidated the network under the Paramount umbrella. BT Sport had held Champions League rights for the previous three seasons, but the expiry of the contract at the end of the 2023‑24 campaign left a vacuum that TNT Sports is now filling.

The Independent’s coverage notes that the rebranding was part of a broader strategy to position Paramount as a “full‑service sports broadcaster” in the UK. Alongside the Champions League package, TNT Sports now holds rights to Premier League matches on Channel 5, the FA Cup on Channel 4, and the NFL’s Thursday Night Football on the newly launched “Paramount+” streaming service.

Wider implications for UK sports viewers

The move is expected to spark a shift in how fans access club football. While the limited number of games means that not every match will be on TV, the breadth of competition coverage will give viewers a wider range of teams and clubs to watch. In addition, the digital-first approach—leveraging the TNT Sports app—provides an alternative to traditional pay‑TV subscriptions, a factor that could appeal to younger audiences.

The EBU, which holds the overarching rights to the Champions League in Europe, confirmed that the partnership with TNT Sports is consistent with its broader strategy to distribute content across multiple platforms and rights holders. “We’re pleased to work with TNT Sports to bring more Champions League action to UK audiences,” said EBU chief communications officer, Laila Møller. “This deal underscores our commitment to flexible, multi‑platform distribution.”

How to catch the action

According to the deal’s schedule, the first group‑stage match under TNT Sports will be broadcast on 26 September 2024. The channel’s online portal will list the full fixtures in advance, allowing fans to plan which games to watch on either the linear or app‑based streams.

For those who prefer free‑to‑air coverage, ITV will still hold the rights to the Champions League final and a handful of high‑profile matchups, ensuring that fans who do not subscribe to TNT Sports can still enjoy the biggest moments of the competition.

Related coverage
[ BT Sport’s rebranding to TNT Sports: what it means for viewers ]
[ UEFA’s distribution model: how rights are split across Europe ]
* [ The future of UK sports broadcasting: a panel discussion with industry experts ]

The agreement signals a bold new chapter for UK football fans and underscores Paramount’s ambition to become a leading player in the increasingly fragmented sports‑rights market. Whether the limited‑match strategy will pay off in terms of audience growth and revenue remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the Champions League will soon be a staple of TNT Sports’ programming line‑up, promising more drama, quality, and accessibility for football enthusiasts across the country.