Paramount disruption: Champions League’s hot auction

Paramount wins the rights to the largest packages of Champions League matches for 2027-31 in the UK and Germany, taking over from TNT Sports and DAZN.

In the UK, increased fragmentation of premium football coverage strengthens Sky’s attractiveness as an aggregator.

In Germany, Paramount will accelerate the market reshuffle.

Altnet losses expanded to £1.5bn in 2024, as EBITDA losses persisted and interest costs rose sharply, with ARPUs weakening and operating costs stubbornly high, and the increasing interest burden looking unpayable under any reasonable scenario.

Even the best performing altnets can barely make EBITDA breakeven, and not make sufficient margins to cover ongoing customer acquisition investment, resulting in a perpetual cash drain for their investors.

The impact on the rest of the sector is worsening in the short term as pricing falls, but this should accelerate the inevitable consolidation into a sustainable wholesale model under CityFibre and/or VMO2/nexfibre.

DAZN is on track to reach profitability in 2026, the tenth year since its launch, supported by Foxtel’s full-year consolidation and the margin improvements already evident in its 2024 accounts.

Foxtel’s integration diversifies the group, with Australia becoming DAZN’s largest market by revenue.

Expansion in ancillary areas (betting, product developments) and the distribution of third-party services under revenue-sharing agreements complements DAZN’s rights’ ownership in key markets.