UEFA to launch OTT service
February 8, 2019
By Colin Mann
Aleksander Čeferin, President of European football’s governing body UEFA, has confirmed that it is to launch a streaming service.
In an acceptance speech following his unanimous re-election at the 43rd Ordinary UEFA Congress, Čeferin informed delegates that UEFA would launch its own OTT platform, provisionally named UEFA TV, in the next six months.
It is understood that the OTT platform will only be available outside Europe and North America after its launch, with the premier club tournament the Champions League unlikely to be available on the platform until 2021 given the existing contracts signed with broadcasters.
“We are fully aware that a revolution is under way, and are in the process of agreeing historic partnerships with the world’s leading companies in this field,” said Čeferin. “We have already started to move in this direction thanks to a sponsorship deal with the Alibaba Group. This partnership is more than a simple sponsorship deal. It’s a first agreement that opens up new horizons, such as the creation of a centre of excellence in new football technologies or joint e-commerce projects. Together, we are inventing the future, and our only limit is our imagination,” he concluded.