Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has revealed that European soccer’s governing body will launch its own over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform in the next six months.
Speaking after his re-election for a new four-year term as Uefa boss, Ceferin confirmed that the service will initially show women’s and youth soccer matches, as well archive content and behind-the-scenes footage from matches.
However, the Uefa Champions League is unlikely to be available on the platform until 2021 at the earliest given the governing body’s existing contracts with broadcasters around the world.
“By putting respect, hope and solidarity at the heart of our strategy, we will make football more accessible for fans, all fans across the planet,” said Ceferin, speaking at Uefa’s annual congress in Rome. “This is one of the main challenges for the coming years.
“This is why I am pleased to announce that Uefa will be launching its OTT platform in the next six months. We are fully aware that a revolution is under way and are in the process of agreeing historic partnerships with the world’s leading companies in this field.”
Uefa secretary general Theodore Theodoridis said that the service should be available by June, adding that the governing body will look for ways to include its flagship competitions on the platform when its existing rights deals expire.
“Now, we don’t know what the future will tell,” said Theodoridis. “But, we have to be ready for the future and the creation of this platform will solidify Uefa in this case; and as of 2021, where our current deal, our current rights expire, together with the clubs, we will see the possibility, in certain territories, of having some premium live matches.
“Also, as of 2022, with the national associations, [it will be] the same because we have a difference of one year in the cycle of TV rights between club football and national association football. But together, we will decide where and if we are to include some premium live content.”
Talk of Uefa’s plans to launch an OTT platform first emerged in September, when the organisation’s marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein told Spanish outlet Palco23 that the governing body wanted to give more airtime to categories which do not benefit from as much exposure as men’s soccer.
Once the platform is launched, it will make Uefa the first of soccer’s six continental governing bodies to operate an OTT service.
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has revealed that European soccer’s governing body will launch its own over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform in the next six months.
Speaking after his re-election for a new four-year term as Uefa boss, Ceferin confirmed that the service will initially show women’s and youth soccer matches, as well archive content and behind-the-scenes footage from matches.
However, the Uefa Champions League is unlikely to be available on the platform until 2021 at the earliest given the governing body’s existing contracts with broadcasters around the world.
“By putting respect, hope and solidarity at the heart of our strategy, we will make football more accessible for fans, all fans across the planet,” said Ceferin, speaking at Uefa’s annual congress in Rome. “This is one of the main challenges for the coming years.
“This is why I am pleased to announce that Uefa will be launching its OTT platform in the next six months. We are fully aware that a revolution is under way and are in the process of agreeing historic partnerships with the world’s leading companies in this field.”
Uefa secretary general Theodore Theodoridis said that the service should be available by June, adding that the governing body will look for ways to include its flagship competitions on the platform when its existing rights deals expire.
“Now, we don’t know what the future will tell,” said Theodoridis. “But, we have to be ready for the future and the creation of this platform will solidify Uefa in this case; and as of 2021, where our current deal, our current rights expire, together with the clubs, we will see the possibility, in certain territories, of having some premium live matches.
“Also, as of 2022, with the national associations, [it will be] the same because we have a difference of one year in the cycle of TV rights between club football and national association football. But together, we will decide where and if we are to include some premium live content.”
Talk of Uefa’s plans to launch an OTT platform first emerged in September, when the organisation’s marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein told Spanish outlet Palco23 that the governing body wanted to give more airtime to categories which do not benefit from as much exposure as men’s soccer.
Once the platform is launched, it will make Uefa the first of soccer’s six continental governing bodies to operate an OTT service.
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