Global streaming platform Disney+ has acquired broadcasting rights for the UEFA Women’s Champions League as part of a five-year deal.
Announced today (May 23), the new broadcast rights agreement is set to begin at the start of the 2025/26 Women’s Champions League campaign in October 2025, with Disney+ receiving coverage of the competition across all European countries.
The deal will expire at the end of the 2029/30 season, with Disney+ becoming the exclusive broadcaster of the Women’s Champions League showing all 75 games each season.
Disney+ takes over from previous rights holder DAZN, as the sports streaming platform’s deal ends Saturday (24 May) after the Women’s Champions League Final between Arsenal and FC Barcelona Femení.
Karl Holmes, General Manager of Disney+ EMEA, said: “The UEFA Women’s Champions League is the very best in football performance, dedication, and passion. Bringing this incredible tournament to Disney+ customers and audiences speaks to our commitment to delivering a huge range of bold and dynamic entertainment.”
Holmes also highlighted that watching live Women’s Champions League on the platform requires no extra cost as long as customers already have an existing Disney+ subscription.
Disney+ will produce its broadcasts of the competition with pre-and-post match content and analysis. ESPN will assist with the coverage by providing commentary in multiple languages to support the multiple countries across Europe.
New broadcaster, new eyes?
The new broadcast rights deal is a landmark moment for both UEFA and Disney+. While the streaming service offers live sports coverage of the NBA, NHL and PGA Tour, it marks the first time Disney+ will broadcast European football.
Women’s football has experienced major growth in terms of viewership and attendance figures across Europe, attracting different demographics from its male counterpart.
As Queenie Porter, VP of West Ham Women’s, told Insider Sport last year, “the women’s game is totally different. It attracts a different audience.” This audience mainly consists of women, young and old, as well as families attending and watching games from home.
UEFA will be buoyed by Disney+’s global reach that extends past European borders. Disney+ is the third most subscribed to screaming service in the world with more than 153 million subscribers last year, falling behind Amazon Prime Video in second (200 million+ subscribers) and Netflix (300 million+ subscribers).
With Disney+ being branded as a family friendly streaming service, the Women’s Champions League may attract new eyes across new markets to help grow the competition even further.
A vote of confidence
Disney’s interest in women’s football does not start with its broadcast rights agreement for the Women’s Champions League, but through its CEO.
In September 2024, Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife Willow Buy acquired a majority share in National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team Angel City FC for $250m, while also investing $50m to support the growth of the club.
In similar women’s football investment news, Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian acquired a 10% stake in 2020/21 Women’s Champions League runners-up Chelsea FC Women on May 15.
With investment growing across both sides of the Atlantic, and a new global broadcast partner for European women football’s most prestigious competition, women’s football continues to prove why its popularity merits the funding and attention.
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