UEFA WCL’s Ground-Breaking Partnership With DAZN & YouTube
UEFA has announced its first-ever four-year global broadcasting partnership with sports streaming platform DAZN, together with YouTube, that will bring an unprecedented level of exposure to women’s football.
Starting from the 2021/22 season, the new partnership will bring the UEFA Women’s Champions League to a global audience, with every game throughout the campaign available to view live online.
It follows UEFA’s decision to create a new format for the Women’s Champions League, featuring a 16-team group stage, with centralised media and sponsorship rights leading to a significant increase of revenues.
This has built the foundation for the recently announced pioneering financial distribution model through which €24 million will be spread throughout women’s football across Europe, strengthening the future for the sport.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin welcomed the partnership, stating: “Two years ago when we launched UEFA’s first ever women’s football strategy, “Time for Action”, we promised action that will lead to a greater, more professional and more prosperous game by 2024. Several initiatives have since followed and this summer is a giant leap in that direction.
“We are delighted to announce the start of a four-year global partnership with DAZN and YouTube. For the first two seasons fans around the world can access and watch for free all matches enabling fans to follow the competition and the very best players in the world. There is no better way to inspire future generations of young girls and boys to play football. Women’s football is here to stay and will only grow stronger.”
All 61 matches available for free in the first two seasons (2021-23), from the group stage onwards on DAZN and free on DAZN’s YouTube channel. For the following two seasons (2023-25), all 61 matches will be live on DAZN while 19 matches will be made available for free on DAZN’s YouTube channel.
The multi-year deal grants DAZN exclusive rights worldwide, with the exception of the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) – where rights do include clips and highlights – and China and its territories.*
The agreement is one of the largest broadcast deals in women’s club football history and signifies another game-changing move in UEFA’s and its partners´ global commitment to women’s sport, centered on the mission of growing the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Marketing Director, said: “We are delighted to have found such innovative partners in DAZN and YouTube, who will give fans worldwide the opportunity to get consistently free-to-air access to the world’s best women’s club football competition.
“It’s exactly what we wished for when we decided to centralise the media rights and revamp the competition format. Ultimately it was an easy decision for UEFA to make, as DAZN and YouTube had the most compelling bid, complemented by the vast promotional opportunities that this partnership can bring for the competition and women’s football in general.”
Nadine Kessler, UEFA Chief of Women’s Football, said: “This deal is a first for women’s football as this partnership between UEFA and DAZN and YouTube will make sure that the UEFA Women’s Champions League can be seen by the fans, by all the people who love this game, wherever they are on the globe.
“Such visibility changes everything, as the best female players and best women’s teams in the world can inspire more young girls and boys to fall in love with this sport. Together we are all bringing women’s football to the world and everyone who will tune in will truly make a difference to something bigger.”
