Amazon secures live Champions League rights in Germany
Amazon Inc. on Tuesday, December 10, 2019 confirmed that it has acquired the rights to broadcast a selection of Champions League games in Germany from the 2021-22 season, as the company continues its offensive into the football TV rights market.
The company has secured a package which includes the top picks of the Tuesday night games in Europe’s biggest club competition, German media magazine DWDL.de revealed.
In a statement on Tuesday, Amazon confirmed that they had secured the rights for their streaming platform Prime Video.
“We are excited to bring UEFA Champions League to our customers in Germany,” said Alex Green, executive director of Prime Video Sport Europa.
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The announcement comes just days after Amazon UK debuted their live coverage of the English Premier League.
The coverage was the first time Premier League games had been broadcast exclusively online in the UK, and was met with mixed reactions from viewers.
German football fans are more accustomed to watching football online, however.
Broadcasting rights for both the Champions League and the Bundesliga are currently shared between traditional broadcaster Sky Sports and London-based streaming service DAZN.
Germany is the biggest market outside the USA for Amazon, who entered the sports streaming market in 2017 and have since broadcast major events in both football and tennis.
(AFP)
Yetunde Adegoke