The BBC will broadcast highlights of all Wednesday night Champions League games from 2024 in a three year deal struck between UEFA and the public broadcaster.
Highlights will be broadcast across the BBC’s linear, online and social channels. The BBC hasn’t confirmed how much it paid for the rights.
Currently, both Champions League highlights and live matches are broadcast by BT Sport. Before BT acquired the rights, the UEFA Champions League was originally broadcast in the UK on Sky and ITV.
On Friday morning, BBC Director of Sport Barbara Slater confirmed overnight reports in the media, saying:
“We are simply thrilled to have won these rights. Our reach and ability to bring people together is unrivalled and we couldn’t be more delighted that UEFA have recognised the value in our ability to bring the UEFA Champions League to the widest possible audience across the UK.
“This package of highlights and digital content will allow football fans to follow the UEFA Champions League, wherever and however they like. The UEFA Champions League is a wonderful addition to our portfolio of football output on the BBC and we can’t wait to get started in 2024!”
The rights acquisition will raise eyebrows following recent announcements of BBC cutbacks. The BBC has previously indicated it wants to re-focus its resources to remain relevant to its audiences.
Amazon will have the top pick of Tuesday night Champions League live games
BT Sport retains the remainder of the matches and retains exclusive live coverage of the UEFA Europa and Conference Leagues