Netflix ‘sounded out’ over £4.4bn deal potentially impacting Newcastle United & Aston Villa
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Newcastle United latest news: Netflix could stream UEFA Champions League matches from the start of the 2027/28 season.
Netflix could stream UEFA Champions League matches from the 2027/28 season after a shake-up in how TV deals for the competition are sold. According to the Times, Netflix are ‘expected to bid’ for broadcast rights for the Champions League as part of new broadcast deals that UEFA believe could be worth £4.4bn.
In the United Kingdom, TNT Sports currently have the rights to Champions League matches as they show all but one match every week from the competition. Amazon Prime also streams one game every Tuesday night of a Champions League matchweek.
Matches on Netflix would, according to that report from The Times, would be similar to the current deal that Amazon Prime has in which they would have first pick and then stream one game a week - although there would be a limit placed on how often clubs can be shown.
Newcastle United braced for Champions League windfall?
If UEFA and the European Football Clubs (EFC) organisation’s predictions are correct, then broadcast revenues would increase by around 10% from the 2027 season onwards. That money would mark a significant increase in revenues available to clubs and Newcastle United will be desperate to ensure they are in the mix to receive that cash boost.
The Magpies have twice qualified for the Champions League in the last three seasons as they look to close the financial gap on the ‘big six’ Premier League clubs. Aston Villa have also played Champions League football in that time, but currently find themselves hamstrung by UEFA’s squad-cost rules.
Prize money for footballing success in the Champions League has grown over the past couple of years, with a revamped format sky-rocketing the prize money clubs can receive - all aiding their efforts against their respective league’s financial restrictions.
The revamped Champions League format was introduced ahead of the 2023/24 season with PSG securing their maiden Champions League title with victory over Inter Milan in the final. PSG netted over £70m from their participation in last season’s Champions League, benefiting from a total prize pot that increased following the revamped format.
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This season, all 36 clubs competing in the Champions League will net a guaranteed £16m just for competing in the league stage. Every win in that phase will be worth an additional £1.8m with a draw worth £600,000.
Prize money then increases with every win in the knockout stage with just-shy of an additional £10m for either finishing in the top-eight or winning a play-off round to secure safe passage into the Round of 16. £10.8m is available to quarter final winners with £13m available to semi-final winners.
A place in the final in Budapest on May 30 will guarantee any club just-shy of £16m with an additional £5.6m given to the winner. That kind of prize money could be transformative for Newcastle United and whilst a spot in the very latter stages is probably out of their reach, they know that they have the ability required to at least progress into knockout rounds - the Villains reached the last-eight of the competition last season after all.