UEFA Champions League sold to highest US bidder
According to the New York Times and Bloomberg, UEFA has sold the TV rights in the USA to the Relevent agency for somewhere in the region of $350m.
UEFA may have scored a masterstroke in the key North American market with the award of its television rights to Relevent Sports Group (RGS) for the three-year period 2024-27.
Champions League more Relevent in US
As announced by the New York Times and reported by Bloomberg economics, the tender process ended with Stephen Ross’s company, the man who also owns the Miami Dolphins, as the final winner. In return, they will pay around 350 million dollars, a sizeable figure for the European organisation.
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There were four agencies bidding for the rights to the Champions League and the rest of UEFA's competitions in the USA. Although it is not yet official, Relevent seems to have been the highest bidder, which will allow it to market the Champions League rights in the three years that cover the period for which it was bidding.
RSG, based in New York, is very familiar with sports thanks to Stephen Ross. In addition to owning the Dolphins, he was the creator of the International Champions Cup, the tournament that brought Europe's best clubs together in summer friendlies in various cities around the world, with a significant presence in the US.
This multi-million contract is also important for UEFA in view of the legal battle it is engaged in with the proposed Super League breakaway. The reinforcement of such a prominent sports companies' commitment to their new and remodelled Champions League is the best defence against the threat of the Super League, which is still there and has not gone away, despite President Aleksander Ceferin's efforts to reduce it.