The planned European soccer super league does not seem to meet with approval from TV stations and streaming providers. The “Financial Times” reported that the initiators of the planned elite league had held initial talks with possible buyers of broadcasting rights such as Facebook, Amazon, Disney and Sky, with the aim of making four billion euros a year.
Facebook said, however, that they had not yet spoken to the organizers. Something similar was reported from Amazon circles. The sale of the television rights is an important component in refinancing the new league.
Meanwhile, according to a “Bloomberg” report, UEFA is trying to raise additional funding for its reformed Champions League in order to be able to stand up to the lure of the Super League. She is in talks with the London investor Centricus Asset Management about a financing package of six billion euros for the club competition, which is to be held in a new format from 2024 anyway.
The current holders of the TV rights to the UEFA Champions League condemned the plans for the Super League. They fear for the sporting attractiveness of the competition if more than a dozen of the most successful clubs are missing. British BT said the Super League could hurt football in the country in the long term.
The Spanish Mediapro predicted that the plans were doomed to failure. The TV stations would not give up their contracts with UEFA. The streaming service DAZN, which currently shares the rights in Austria and Germany with Sky, said it was not interested in talks about the Super League. Sky was similar: “We are fully focused on our long-term partners in the UK and Europe.”
According to analysts, Amazon and the Disney sports broadcaster ESPN have the best chance of showing the Super League. The traditional rights holders held back because otherwise they would have to fear for their relationship with the international associations – which organize the European and World Championships – and the national leagues, said media analyst Ian Whittaker.
