Telefónica has secured the broadcast rights for the UEFA Europa League in Spain, covering the 2024/25, 2025/26, and 2026/27 seasons. The deal, part of a broader acquisition that includes the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Youth League, and UEFA Europa Conference League, involves a total expenditure of 960 million euros, equating to 320 million euros per season. This acquisition aligns with Telefónica's existing strategy of maintaining comprehensive football rights within the Spanish market, with Telefónica Audiovisual set to provide these broadcasts to its residential segment customers.
Telefónica, through its pay-TV arm Movistar Plus+, has secured the exclusive Spanish broadcasting rights for UEFA's men's club competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League, UEFA Super Cup, and UEFA Youth League, for the 2024 to 2027 cycle. The deal, worth €960 million, averages €320 million per season. This represents a slight decrease from Telefónica's previous rights deal, valued at €975 million.
Telefónica, through its subsidiary Telefónica Audiovisual Digital, holds the exclusive audiovisual broadcasting rights for the UEFA Europa League in Spain. This arrangement is part of a broader contract that includes several UEFA competitions, spanning the seasons from 2021/22 through 2023/2024. The acquisition of these rights allows Telefónica to broadcast UEFA Europa League matches across multiple platforms, including Movistar+.
Telefónica, a leading Spanish telecommunications company, acquired the broadcast rights to the UEFA Champions League for approximately €1.1 billion, covering three years from 2021. Annually, the company has agreed to pay close to €360 million to air matches in Spain, including group and knockout stages. This strategic move marked Telefónica's significant investment in sports broadcasting amidst stiff competition, particularly from online streaming firms. The COVID-19 pandemic's economic impact influenced the bidding process, with some competitors scaling back. Telefónica has announced plans to distribute these rights to various over-the-top (OTT) providers, such as DAZN Spain and Mitele Plus, suggesting varied package offerings and prices.
In the middle of the 2018/19 season, Telefonica took over Italian Serie A broadcast rights in Spain from previous holders beIN Sports and Gol. Telefonica’s over-the-top (OTT) platform Movistar+ will therefore air select matches from every round, for the remainder of the deal’s period. Movistar+ Lite, the other OTT service launched by Telefonica in mid-2019, will also grant its subscribers access to live Serie A games as a low-fee offer.
