Disney+ secures Women’s Champions League broadcast rights
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Disney+ secures Women’s Champions League broadcast rights
Streaming service Disney+ will broadcast Women’s Champions League games from the 2025-26 season. Walt Disney Company has agreed a five-year deal with the competition through to the 2029-30 campaign.Disney+ will show all 75 matches in the tournament across Europe, with coverage launching in October. UC3, a joint venture between UEFA and the European Club Association, said it would continue to work with free-to-air broadcast partners as part of the deal.
The Walt Disney Company has agreed a five-year deal with the competition through to the 2029-30 campaign.
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Disney+ will show all 75 matches in the tournament across Europe, with coverage launching in October.
UC3, a joint venture between UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA), said it would continue to work with free-to-air broadcast partners as part of the deal.
UEFA say free-to-air coverage has been secured in approximately 30 territories with individual broadcasters to bring “up to one game per matchweek to wider audiences “.
ESPN, Disney’s multi-platform sports brand, will produce all the live matches for Disney+, and commentary and pre and post-match analysis will be offered in multiple languages.
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Streaming service DAZN had held the media rights to the Women’s Champions League for the past four years, marking the competition’s first global broadcast deal. Some matches in the UK have also been shown on TNT Sports.
All matches in the competition had been free to air on DAZN during the first two seasons of the deal and the plan had been to move the majority of matches behind a paywall for the final two years, but this was later scrapped.
The new broadcast deal coincides with the Women’s Champions League adopting the same expanded format as the men’s competition next season, introducing a league phase but with 18 teams rather than 32.
The Disney announcement follows the Women’s Super League in England agreeing a five-year deal with Sky Sports and the BBC in October. In December, Netflix secured the rights to broadcast the 2027 and 2031 women’s World Cups in the United States, marking the first time the competition will be shown on streaming platform.
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Arsenal play Barcelona at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday in this season’s Women’s Champions League final.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Sports Business, UK Women’s Football
2025 The Athletic Media Company
Disney Plus surprises UK subscribers with live football streams launching soon
Disney Plus will broadcast UEFA Women’s Champions League from October. The streamer will also broadcast the UEFA Conference League from 2024. The service costs £4.99-per-month, with a £7.99 ad-free tier. It’s not available in the UK yet, but will be available from October next year. The Women’s League is one of the most hotly contested leagues in the world. It is currently dominated by Lyon and Barcelona, with the latter having won the last two years. Disney Plus could do well to position itself as a one-stop-shop for these up-and-coming leagues.
Disney Plus has just announced that from October, it’ll be broadcasting live football games, and you won’t need to buy a more expensive tier to enjoy them. The standard £4.99-per-month ad-enabled tier is all you need to stream the sports, though I always recommend the £7.99 ad-free tier to new subscribers (more about the Disney Plus price here).
This is a big surprise for Disney Plus subscribers who thought they were just getting Star Wars, superheroes and Nat Geo, and helps the streamer better position itself against rivals like Netflix and Prime Video who also offer live sports.
The matches that Disney Plus will broadcast are from the UEFA Women’s Champions League, which begins its 2025/26 season on Tuesday, October 7 (qualifying matches begin in July but it doesn’t seem like Disney Plus will broadcast them).
Disney will get broadcast rights all the way up until the 2029/30 Women’s Champions League too, so you’re getting at least five years of footie through your subscription.
A new league system brings a shake-up to the Women’s Champions League this year, which is currently dominated by two teams. Since the 2015/16 season only two teams have won every title: Lyon or Barcelona, with the latter having won the last two years.
The news comes just prior to the 2024/25 season’s final on Saturday, May 24 between Arsenal and Barcelona. This is only available to watch through a £30.99-per-month TNT Sports (via Discovery Plus) subscription or a £25-per-month DAZN subscription (down to £15 if you commit to a whole year) so Disney Plus is going to be a much more affordable way to stream the league.
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At the end of 2024, Disney Plus announced that it had also secured rights to the UEFA Conference League, albeit only in Sweden and Denmark. So this recent news shows that the streamer is making a big push into live football.
It’s unlikely that Disney will secure rights to the biggest leagues like the Premier League or EFL, which are hotly contested by broadcasters whom pay hundreds of millions of pounds for the rights. But it’s hard to watch some of the other leagues in the UK and so Disney Plus could do well to position itself as a one-stop-shop for these up-and-coming leagues.
Disney+ nets Women’s Champions League deal
Disney+ will be the home of the UEFA Women’s Champions League across Europe from next season. The announcement follows a five-year deal in which The Walt Disney Company has secured live rights to the competition from 2025/26 to 2029/30. All 75 matches in the competition will be live streamed on Disney+. The new deal continues the growing momentum of women’s football, ensuring high-quality coverage and prominent exposure for football fans of all generations to enjoy. ESPN, Disney’s multiplatform sports brand, will produce all live matches for Disney+ with commentary offered in multiple languages, alongside pre- and post-game programming. Since 2020, UEFA Playmakers inspired by Disney continues to inspire girls across Europe to kick-off a lifelong love of football.
As the only place fans can watch all live matches in the competition, coverage on Disney+ will launch in October 2025, marking a new era for the UEFA Women’s Champions League with the introduction of the 18-team League phase format. Bringing more excitement, unpredictability and bigger clashes from the League phase through to the 2026 Final at Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, all 75 matches in the competition will be live streamed on Disney+.
The new deal continues the growing momentum of women’s football, ensuring high-quality coverage and prominent exposure for football fans of all generations to enjoy. ESPN, Disney’s multiplatform sports brand, will produce all live matches for Disney+ with commentary offered in multiple languages, alongside pre- and post-game programming. Disney’s rich heritage in sports through ESPN brings 45 years of outstanding broadcasting experience across a wide variety of sports content, including major football, basketball, hockey, tennis tournaments, and more, alongside the recent launch of the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League on Disney+ in Denmark and Sweden.
Since 2020, UEFA Playmakers inspired by Disney continues to inspire girls across Europe to kick-off a lifelong love of football. The programme, which uses the magic of Disney storytelling has now given over 132,000 girls aged between 5 and 8 an opportunity to make friends, have fun and develop fundamental movement skills. UEFA Playmakers is available in over 6,300 centres in 46 countries across Europe. Almost 8,000 qualified coaches deliver the sessions, many of whom are taking their first steps in the world of coaching. Following this strong success, the UEFA Playmakers agreement was recently extended until 2027.
“The UEFA Women’s Champions League is the very best in football performance, dedication, and passion,” stated Karl Holmes, General Manager, Disney+ EMEA commented. “Bringing this incredible tournament to Disney+ customers and audiences speaks to our commitment to delivering a huge range of bold and dynamic entertainment. As women’s football continues to grow with audiences worldwide, we’re proud to offer the thrill and excitement of every single match to Disney+ customers across Europe, at no extra cost.”
“The UEFA Women’s Champions League has seen exceptional growth in recent years, with record-breaking attendance, rising standards, and increasing global interest,” added Guy-Laurent Epstein, Co-Managing Director, UC3: “These new broadcast deals not only reflect this but are important milestones in the continued development of women’s football in Europe, underscoring its growing importance and appeal to fans worldwide. We look forward to working with Disney+ and the Free-To-Air broadcast partners to continue to grow the women’s game in Europe.”
Disney+ agrees five-year deal for pan-European UWCL rights
Deal lasts until end of 2029/30 campaign and includes all 75 games. DAZN had been global broadcaster since 2021.FTA coverage set to be secured in key markets. The 18-team league phase will be similar to the 36-team model employed by the men’s competition since the start of the current campaign.Matches will be produced by ESPN and available to all Disney+ customers at no extra cost. The streaming service will air all 75 matches from the competition, which will adopt a new format from next season. It is thought that Disney+‘s financial commitment, production capabilities, and 125 million global subscribers were factors in Uefa’’s decision.
DAZN had been global broadcaster since 2021
FTA coverage set to be secured in key markets
Disney+ has secured the pan-European broadcast rights to the Uefa Women’s Champions League (UWCL) in a five-year deal starting next season and expiring at the end of the 2029/30 campaign.
The streaming service will air all 75 matches from the competition, which will adopt a new format from next season.
The 18-team league phase will be similar to the 36-team model employed by the men’s competition since the start of the current campaign, ensuring more meaningful matches between the continent’s top clubs – making it more attractive to a potential broadcaster.
Matches will be produced by ESPN, Disney’s sporting division, and will be available to all Disney+ customers at no extra cost.
Disney takes over from DAZN, which has held the global rights to the UWCL since the 2021/22 season as part of a groundbreaking four-year arrangement. Free-to-air (FTA) coverage was a core component of that deal, with some matches also available on YouTube.
It is thought that Disney+’s financial commitment, production capabilities, and 125 million global subscribers were factors in Uefa’s decision.
It is also expected that FTA coverage will be maintained in key markets to some degree. In previous years, the European Broadcast Union (EBU) has sublicensed rights from DAZN for its members.
“The Uefa Women’s Champions League is the very best in football performance, dedication, and passion,” said Karl Holmes, general manager of Disney+ in EMEA. “Bringing this incredible tournament to Disney+ customers and audiences speaks to our commitment to delivering a huge range of bold and dynamic entertainment. As women’s football continues to grow with audiences worldwide, we’re proud to offer the thrill and excitement of every single match to Disney+ customers across Europe, at no extra cost.”
“The Uefa Women’s Champions League has seen exceptional growth in recent years, with record-breaking attendance, rising standards, and increasing global interest,” added Guy-Laurent Epstein, co-managing director of UC3, a joint-venture between Uefa and the European Club Association (ECA). “These new broadcast deals not only reflect this but are important milestones in the continued development of women’s football in Europe, underscoring its growing importance and appeal to fans worldwide. We look forward to working with Disney+ and the Free-To-Air broadcast partners to continue to grow the women’s game in Europe.”
Disney+’s most significant move into sports broadcasting in Europe to date was the acquisition of Uefa Europa League and Uefa Conference League rights in Sweden and Denmark, while ESPN content has been integrated into the service in Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
UEFA Women’s Champions League Coming To Disney+ In Europe
Disney announce major shake up for Disney+ in the UK and Europe. Disney+ will become the home of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. All 75 matches in the competition will be live-streamed on Disney+. The deal covers the live rights from October 2025 until the 2029/30 season. Disney has been expanding the use of the ESPN brand to Disney+ across the United States, Latin America and most recently, in Australia and New Zealand. Disney closed down its ESPN Player app a few years ago and has also secured global streaming rights for many big sports including the NBA. We are likely going to see Disney going after more live sports for the platform, ideally global deals, and sports licensing contracts are also a good way of boosting coverage. Will you be checking out the Women Football on Disney+? Let me know on social media! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest Disney news.
The deal covers the live rights from October 2025 until the 2029/30 season and will make Disney+ the only place fans can watch all live matches in the competition. Coverage on Disney+ will launch in October 2025, marking a new era for the UEFA Women’s Champions League with the introduction of the 18-team League phase format. Bringing more excitement, unpredictability and bigger clashes from the League phase through to the 2026 Final at Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, all 75 matches in the competition will be live-streamed on Disney+.
The new deal continues the growing momentum of women’s football, ensuring high-quality coverage and prominent exposure for football fans of all generations to enjoy. ESPN, Disney’s multiplatform sports brand, will produce all live matches for Disney+ with commentary offered in multiple languages, alongside pre- and post-game programming. Disney’s rich heritage in sports through ESPN brings 45 years of outstanding broadcasting experience across a wide variety of sports content, including major football, basketball, hockey, tennis tournaments, and more, alongside the recent launch of the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League on Disney+ in Denmark and Sweden.
Since 2020, UEFA Playmakers inspired by Disney continues to inspire girls across Europe to kick-off a lifelong love of football. The programme, which uses the magic of Disney storytelling has now given over 132,000 girls aged between 5 and 8 an opportunity to make friends, have fun and develop fundamental movement skills. UEFA Playmakers is available in over 6,300 centres in 46 countries across Europe. Almost 8,000 qualified coaches deliver the sessions, many of whom are taking their first steps in the world of coaching. Following this strong success, the UEFA Playmakers agreement was recently extended until 2027.
Karl Holmes, General Manager, Disney+ EMEA, commented:
“The UEFA Women’s Champions League is the very best in football performance, dedication, and passion. Bringing this incredible tournament to Disney+ customers and audiences speaks to our commitment to delivering a huge range of bold and dynamic entertainment. As women’s football continues to grow with audiences worldwide, we’re proud to offer the thrill and excitement of every single match to Disney+ customers across Europe, at no extra cost.”
Guy-Laurent Epstein, Co-Managing Director, UC3, added:
“The UEFA Women’s Champions League has seen exceptional growth in recent years, with record-breaking attendance, rising standards, and increasing global interest. These new broadcast deals not only reflect this but are important milestones in the continued development of women’s football in Europe, underscoring its growing importance and appeal to fans worldwide. We look forward to working with Disney+ and the Free-To-Air broadcast partners to continue to grow the women’s game in Europe.”
Over the last year, Disney has been expanding the use of the ESPN brand to Disney+ across the United States, Latin America and most recently, in Australia and New Zealand. Disney closed down its ESPN Player app a few years ago and has also secured global streaming rights for many big sports including the NBA.
Women’s football is also continuing to grow in popularity, so offering coverage included within a Disney+ subscription is hopefully going to lead to more people checking out the sport in the next five years.
Roger’s Take: This is the first major sports announcement for the UK and many European countries. I suspect later this year, the UK and Europe will follow how Disney+ operates in Australia and Latin America, with the introduction of the ESPN hub, offering subscribers a wide selection of content to keep people not just subscribed but also engaged with the platform. We are likely going to see Disney going after more live sports for the platform, ideally through global deals, but local sports licensing contracts are also a good way of boosting coverage.
Will you be checking out the Women’s Football on Disney+? Let me know on social media!
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Disney+ wins Women’s Champions League rights
The Walt Disney Company has secured live rights to the competition from 2025/26 to 2029/30. All 75 matches in the competition will be live streamed on Disney+.ESPN, Disney’s multiplatform sports brand, will produce all live matches for Disney+ with commentary in multiple languages. Through ESPN, Disney shows the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League on Disney+ in Denmark and Sweden.
The announcement follows a five-year deal in which The Walt Disney Company has secured live rights to the competition from 2025/26 to 2029/30.
Coverage on Disney+ will launch in October 2025, marking a new era for the UEFA Women’s Champions League with the introduction of the 18-team League phase format. All 75 matches in the competition will be live streamed on Disney+.
ESPN, Disney’s multiplatform sports brand, will produce all live matches for Disney+ with commentary in multiple languages, alongside pre- and post-game programming. Through ESPN, Disney shows the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League on Disney+ in Denmark and Sweden.
Karl Holmes, General Manager, Disney+ EMEA commented: “The UEFA Women’s Champions League is the very best in football performance, dedication, and passion. Bringing this incredible tournament to Disney+ customers and audiences speaks to our commitment to delivering a huge range of bold and dynamic entertainment. As women’s football continues to grow with audiences worldwide, we’re proud to offer the thrill and excitement of every single match to Disney+ customers across Europe, at no extra cost.”
Guy-Laurent Epstein, Co-Managing Director, UC3:“The UEFA Women’s Champions League has seen exceptional growth in recent years, with record-breaking attendance, rising standards, and increasing global interest. These new broadcast deals not only reflect this but are important milestones in the continued development of women’s football in Europe, underscoring its growing importance and appeal to fans worldwide. We look forward to working with Disney+ and the Free-To-Air broadcast partners to continue to grow the women’s game in Europe.”
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Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/article/disney-secures-women-champions-league-090106189.html