Nine owned streaming service Stan, has today confirmed it has entered into a new multi-year partnership agreement with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
The new deal secures exclusive broadcast rights to every match of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League and UEFA Youth League, alongside rights to the UEFA Super Cup, for the next three seasons – bringing the best players, the biggest clubs, and the most prestigious club football tournaments in the world exclusively to Stan Sport.
The deal with Stan comes after a previous deal with rival upstart streaming service Sports Flicks fell apart earlier this year.
The agreement with Stan further complicates the Australian football streaming market. The 10 Network and Paramount+ has recently secured rights to the A-League/W-League, plus rights matches involving our national teams, the Socceroo’s and the Matilda’s. Meanwhile Optus Sport continues to hold rights to a number of key tournaments including the EPL and World Cup tournaments.
The new agreement sees Stan add another strategic premium sports pillar, with every match of the UEFA Club Competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, to stream ad-free, live and on demand exclusively on Stan’s add-on sport package Stan Sport, with a significant number of matches to stream in 4K Ultra HD.
The pinnacle of the yearly football calendar, the UEFA Champions League, will see the world’s best players face off for the European club football crown; a who’s who of global superstars that includes Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah, Manuel Neuer, Kylian Mbappé, Kevin De Bruyne, Virgil van Dijk, Robert Lewandowski, and more.
Amongst those to have qualified for the Group Stage of the 2021-22 tournament are defending UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea, alongside AC Milan, Ajax Amsterdam, Atlético Madrid, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Juventus, Lille, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Porto, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Sporting Lisbon, Villarreal, and many more of Europe’s best clubs.
In addition to the UEFA Champions League, Stan will also broadcast every match of the UEFA Europa League and the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League. Clubs that have directly qualified for the Group Stage of the 2021-22 UEFA Europa League include: Bayern Leverkusen, Braga, Eintracht Frankfurt, Lazio, Leicester City, Lokomotiv Moscow, Lyon, Marseille, Napoli, Real Betis, Real Sociedad and West Ham United. Tottenham Hotspur and Roma are favoured to win qualification for the inaugural 2021-22 UEFA Europa Conference League, with the winner guaranteed a spot in next season’s UEFA Europa League.
Stan Acting Chief Executive Officer Martin Kugeler said:
“Today’s multi-year partnership announcement with UEFA reflects Stan’s commitment to bringing premium sports to Australian fans. Since Stan Sport launched in February, we have been delighted with the way Australians have taken up the service. The addition of the UEFA Club Competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, represents a unique strategic opportunity that will continue the momentum for Stan Sport and aligns directly with the Nine group sports strategy.
“Featuring the most outstanding players in the sport, the UEFA Club Competitions bring together the best clubs for more than 400 matches of world-class football. We can’t wait to showcase the most prestigious club football tournaments in the world and we thank UEFA for its trust in Stan to deliver their iconic football products to Australia.”
UEFA Marketing Director Guy-Laurent Epstein said:
“We are delighted to be partnering with Stan in Australia. Stan has strong ambitions in the world of sport, and as a sports-loving nation, Australian football fans will benefit from Stan’s world class broadcast and production capabilities throughout the 2021-24 cycle.”
Stan Sport’s exclusive UEFA coverage will begin with the 2021-22 UEFA Super Cup match between 2020-21 UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea and Villarreal, winners of the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League – kicking off on Thursday, 12 August (AEST), with Stan Sport’s live broadcast time to be announced.
