According to the UEFA Executive Committee which met in Bratislava, Slovakia this week, the sales process for the rights to the tournament for 2003-2006 had 'generated a higher revenue than expected in view of the current changed market circumstances'.
For the 2003/04 season, UEFA has recently informed the 52 member associations that although the exact amounts cannot be confirmed, the provisional marketing revenue used as the starting point for calculation is CHF870m ($614m/EUR545m).
Of this total amount, CHF655m ($473m/EUR420m) will go to the clubs, while CHF215m ($155m/EUR138m) will be the share for the European football family, including solidarity payments for associations.
Said UEFA chief executive Gerhard Aigner: "We are very satisfied with these results.
"It shows that the UEFA Champions League is of great interest to football fans all over the world. Despite changes in the market, we have achieved a very good level of income for European football."
