Disney+ to enter women's football market with Champions League rights
The streaming platform Disney+ is set to show live Women's Champions League matches from next season across multiple European broadcast territories, including the United Kingdom.
It is understood Disney+ has agreed a five-year deal which will mean that it broadcasts every single match in the competition live, which is being perceived as a major step forward for coverage of the European women's game's top club competition.
The streaming platform's move to enter the women's football market follows the news announced in December that Netflix secured the United States broadcast rights for live coverage of the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cups.
In terms of the UK broadcast market, Disney's arrival means that women's football now has a sixth different major broadcaster covering the sport from next season. The BBC and Sky share the rights to show the Women's Super League, while TNT Sports and Channel 4 have secured a new deal to broadcast the Women's FA Cup, while ITV also cover the England women's team's matches – joined by the BBC for major tournaments. Additionally, every WSL 2 match is available live on YouTube next term.
Such a wide range of different subscriptions being required by supporters wanting to watch every match live may be a concern for some fans in terms of the cost, although it is also understood there will be some free-to-air coverage of the Women's Champions League in the UK too.
For the past four seasons, DAZN has shown the Women's Champions League live across Europe and some matches in the UK have additionally been picked up by TNT Sports.
Disney+ is understood to have made a hugely competitive offer, not only financially but in terms of the quality of their production, in their extensive plans for their coverage. The organisation reportedly has around 125 million subscribers globally.
The deal was agreed by UC3, a new joint venture organised between Uefa and the European Club Association, meaning that club representatives have been involved in the discussions around the broadcast rights deal. The agency Two Circles were commissioned to work on the deal.
The news comes ahead of this year's final, between Arsenal and Barcelona, which is taking place in Lisbon on Saturday. Barcelona are bidding to win the European title for the third consecutive year after eliminating Chelsea in the semi-finals. Arsenal are in their first final since lifting the trophy in 2007.
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The Women's Champions League has a new format from next season. It is relatively similar to to the recently-revamped men's Champions League format, albeit smaller in terms of the number of teams. The women's event will switch from a 16-team group stage to now having a league phase, expanded to include 18 teams, where teams will be ranked in one league table, before a playoff round and then the more traditional knockout phase.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have earned the European spots for next term from the WSL as the top three with the latter starting their qualifying campaign in August. Arsenal's 2007 triumph is the only time a British women's club has ever won the European title.
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