Malta has become the latest country in which the Team Marketing agency is inviting offers for broadcast rights to the Uefa Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League from 2021-22 to 2023-24.
Two simultaneous invitations to submit offers have been issued by Team with bidders handed a first-round deadline of 10am (CET) on 28 January.
Rights to the Champions League and Uefa Super Cup are being sold together, while rights to the Europa League and new third-tier Europa Conference League are combined in a concurrent sales process.
Melita, the Maltese telecoms operator, and PBS, the country’s public broadcaster, acquired the Champions League and Europa League rights for the 2018-21 cycle.
Melita holds pay-television rights to all matches from both competitions while PBS has rights to the first-pick Champions League fixture on Wednesdays and the first-pick Europa League match.
After acquiring the rights, Melita strengthens its sports offering by creating the Total Sports Network joint venture with erstwhile rival Go as the duo pooled together their rights in a consolidation of the market.
Go held exclusive Champions League rights from 2015-16 to 2017-18 with Melita holding the Europa League rights contract during the same three-season cycle.
Team chose the US market as the first in which to go to market for the new cycle as the sales process began three months ago. Rights processes were then initiated in the UK, France, Russia, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Deals have now been finalised in most countries, with exceptions including Russia (and the sale of Europa League rights in Germany).
