Amazon Prime to Show Champions League Games

Amazon Prime has announced its coverage plans for the upcoming 2024-25 UEFA Champions League, expanding its presence in the UK sports broadcasting market. The streaming service, which already holds rights to broadcast Champions League matches in Italy and Germany, secured a three-year agreement with UEFA in July 2022 to air one match per week in the UK and Ireland. This season marks the final year of its current Premier League broadcasting rights, as the Champions League play-offs commence. Under the new deal, Amazon Prime will showcase what it terms the "top-pick" match on Tuesday nights, continuing through the semi-finals. This season introduces a league-phase format, replacing the traditional group stage, where each team will play eight matches against different opponents, culminating in a combined table of 36. However, due to its single-game rights, Amazon will not broadcast the final round of matches, which occur simultaneously on Wednesday nights. Commentary for the matches will feature former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer and Jon Champion, with Mark Clattenburg serving as a referee analyst. Amazon emphasizes that the viewing experience will be enhanced by lower latency, ensuring fans enjoy the matches with minimal delay. Importantly, existing Amazon Prime subscribers will not incur additional costs to access Champions League content. Additionally, the platform is set to release a documentary on Sir Kenny Dalglish, the former Liverpool player and manager, with filming already underway and a release expected in 2025.