Virgin Media Television has signed a new deal that will see UEFA Champions League broadcast for three more years, through the 2026/27 season.
The tournament will be expanded from next season onwards, with 36 teams now taking part in the new ‘league phase’.
The new format will bring more matches between top teams and higher stakes throughout the tournament, with clubs each playing eight matches during the league phase.
As part of the new deal, Virgin Media Television has rights to 166 live matches per season. There will be eight live games each match week – two live on Virgin Media Two, and two live on Virgin Media More every Tuesday and Wednesday.
Premier Sports and RTÉ also have rights to show matches on Tuesday and Wednesday nights respectively.
Amazon has rights to Tuesday games in the UK but with lower penetration here than TNT Sports the first choice games will have less competition on Irish channels.
The deal comes into effect from the start of the 2024/25 season, and will run through the 2026/27 campaign.
“The UEFA Champions League is the biggest and most prestigious club competition in the world, and we are delighted to extend our partnership with UEFA to continue to bring the best of the action to Irish viewers free-to-air,” said Aine Ni Chaoindealbhain, Managing Director at Virgin Media Television.
“The new format brings more big games between the top teams, and we will have more UEFA Champions League fixtures than ever before on VMTV.”
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