The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has reached an agreement with the streaming service DAZN for 12 of its members to broadcast the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final 2023.
The final, to be played in Eindhoven, Netherlands on June 3, pits Spain’s FC Barcelona (winners in 2021) against Germany’s VfL Wolfsburg, the champions in 2013 and 2014.
The 12 EBU member broadcasters that will show live coverage of the final are: ORF (Austria); RTBF (Belgium); HRT (Croatia); YLE (Finland); ZDF (Germany); RUV (Iceland); NOS (Netherlands); RTE (Ireland); TVP (Poland); RTS (Serbia); SVT (Sweden); and SRG (Switzerland).
In Sweden, SVT will share coverage with commercial broadcaster TV4, in a deal brokered by the EBU.
The majority of the 12 EBU members will broadcast the match live on linear TV and via their digital channels, while the match will also be shown by DAZN and on YouTube. According to the EBU, the agreement marks an exciting and high-profile debut for Eurovision Sport in women’s club football, as the EBU continues its focus on the rise of women’s sport across the continent and beyond.
Commenting on the development, Stefan-Eric Wildemann, Eurovision Sport’s head of football, said: “We are thrilled and proud to have reached agreement with DAZN to bring the UEFA Women’s Champions League final under the EBU umbrella. As world leaders in the broadcast and streaming of women’s sport, we believe that both the competition and football fans will benefit from the expert coverage and free-to-air exposure that our members guarantee. Our members are constantly setting new standards and pushing the boundaries to bring the very best women’s sport to as many viewers as possible across Europe and beyond”.
Veronica Diquattro, DAZN’s Global Markets CEO, added: “This deal with the EBU underpins DAZN’s commitment to continue to grow the interest in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, and women’s football more broadly. The additional linear reach and distribution this will deliver, on top of our other digital channels, will make sure that the Final is enjoyed by as many fans as possible. This is good news for the competition, clubs, players, supporters and for DAZN”.
The agreement augments last month’s media rights deal between Eurovision Sport and Unipublic for the newly created La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es.
EBU members achieved record TV viewing figures for last year’s UEFA Women’s EURO England 2022, and other top women’s football in the EBU’s portfolio includes this summer’s flagship FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
