Sony Retains UEFA Media Rights For The Indian Sub-Continent

Sony Pictures Networks India's (SPNI) contract with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has been extended for another three years, till the end of the 2023-2024 season. SPNI will be the official broadcaster of top European club football properties on the Indian subcontinent, including the UEFA Champions League (UCL), UEFA Europa League (UEL), UEFA Youth League (UFL), UEFA Super Cup (USC), and the newly created UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL).

It will broadcast a total of 138 matches across UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup properties, 141 matches of UEFA Europa League, 141 matches of UEFA Europa Conference League and 39 matches of UEFA Youth League each season. Select matches will be telecast LIVE across Sony Sports channels and all matches will be live-streamed on its on-demand OTT platform SonyLIV.

Commenting on the development, Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution, and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India said, “We are delighted to extend our partnership with UEFA for the next three seasons for the most prestigious European club football properties like UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the inaugural edition of UEFA Europa Conference League among others.”

“European club football is widely followed by fans across India, the steady rise of its viewership in India in the last few years is a testament to its fandom. Through this partnership, we will continue to cement our positioning as a global multi-sporting arena and the premier destination for the best of international club football,” added Kaul.

On the other side, Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director, UEFA said, “UEFA is delighted to renew our partnership with Sony Pictures Network India for the 2021-24 seasons. Sony Pictures Networks India brings a wealth of experience to premium sports broadcasting and will continue to provide best-in-class coverage of the UEFA Club Competitions to football fans across the Indian Sub-Continent.”

The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is touted as one of the most prestigious club football tournaments in the world and sees participation from some of the most celebrated clubs in Europe like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint- Germain, Liverpool, Juventus and many more.

In addition, top players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski, Neymar Jr, and Kylian Mbappé will compete in the league. The UEFA Europa League (UEL) is UEFA's second-tier European club, with top teams such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Sevilla FC, and others participating in recent seasons, along with players such as Harry Kane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Bruno Fernandez, Romelu Lukaku, and others.

The UEFA Super Cup was contested by the winners the UCL and UEL and this year fans witnessed a thrilling contest between Chelsea and Villarreal. The UEFA Youth League is an annual club football competition contested by the youth (under-19) teams of the clubs competing in the UEFA Champions’ League group stage, plus the domestic youth champions of the best-ranked national associations.

The newly launched UEFA Europa Conference League is the third-tier football club competition for eligible European football clubs after the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

Apart from UEFA events, SPNI also has rights to football properties like J League, Bundesliga and FA Cup and FIFA European Qualifiers. Recently, it had acquired Bundesliga rights for the Indian subcontinent.