As the sales process for the TV rights contracts comes ever closer to completion, UEFA has unveiled new deals in a host of regions across the world, leaving only a handful of contracts still to be signed.
Despite the less than hospitable economic market for TV sports rights sales, UEFA has exceeded the target it set itself for revenue from the negotiations for the new three-year contracts which run to the end of the 2005/06 season.
While the revenue from deals in the major European territories have stayed at a similar level or dropped slightly, UEFA's primary success story has been in the second-tier markets - Holland, Greece, Scandinavia, Turkey and Japan - where rights fees have increased in all five regions on the previous contracts.
Commenting on the latest contracts, UEFA chief executive Gerhard Aigner stated: "These deals ensure the continuing expansion of the broadcaster network both inside and outside Europe, for example in territories such as Belarus and Panama, or in Hong Kong, where previously only the final of the UEFA Champions League was broadcast.
"The growing strength of the UEFA Champions League as a global event is also reflected in the number of current broadcaster partners who have renewed their association with the competition. Our broadcast partners for the new contracts are planning outstanding coverage of the matches and we are confident that the growing interest in the UEFA Champions League will continue."
UEFA's announcement on the final TV rights agreements to be concluded indicate the growing global reach of the competition with new deals signed with the following national broadcasters:
Greece (pay-TV) - Supersport
Hungary - Viasat
Azerbaijan - ANS
Belarus - Belarus TV
Sub-Saharan Africa (Terrestrial TV & French language pay-TV) – SIMA International
Mauritius - MBC
Pan Middle East - ART
Pan-Asia (pay-TV) - ESPN Star
Hong Kong - ATV
Singapore - Mediacorp TV
Indonesia - RCTI
Vietnam - VTV
Panama - TVN
Venezuela - Meridiano
Australia (Terrestrial) - SBS
UEFA and its partnering agency TEAM Marketing have concluded a number of TV rights negotiations for the next Champions League contract after announcing a raft of new deals.
