Kieran Maguire issues ‘£180m’ reveal as Liverpool thrilled by Uefa decision
Liverpool will be “very happy” with the new Champions League rights package which means they could earn as much as £180million from a single season in the competition.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the new UK TV deal for Uefa’s premier competition.
European football’s governing body has signed off on a £305million deal for BT Sport to broadcast the bulk of matches in the 2024-27 cycle, per Sport Business last Friday (1 July).
BT had exclusivity under the terms of the previous arrangement but Amazon have secured 17 matches this around, while the BBC will show highlights of the competition’s Wednesday games.
The new cycle coincides with a new format which will see the total number of matches in the Champions League swell by nearly 40 per cent.
Liverpool reached the final in 2021-22, where they were beaten 1-0 by Real Madrid at the Stade de France in Paris.
Maguire explains that a similar run could see the Merseysiders net an extraordinary windfall under the new broadcast arrangement.
“I think Liverpool will be happy,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“Six into four, as in the Champions League qualification spots, is imperfect. That’s why they wanted Super League. But under the new proposals, I would expect to see five clubs in the Champions League nine times out of 10.
“We could even have six or seven under certain circumstances. That is what Liverpool’s owners want. They want guaranteed revenues from the Champions League.
“If the overall value of the deals is as lucrative as Uefa are claiming, a good run in the competition will be worth £150m per season from 2024-25.
“On top of that, you have matchday income as well. For Liverpool, that could be as high as £3.5m or £4m per match. Add that all together and we’re talking around £180m per season.
“Overall, Liverpool are completely agnostic when it comes to who has the rights. They only care about how much the rights are worth.
“That’s because the more the UK broadcasters put in, the more they can take out of the market pool.”
In other news, Liverpool star Neco Williams undergoing Nottingham Forest medical after bid accepted.