Guy-Laurent Epstein – TWFLD https://twfld.com The home of independent tech and motoring news and reviews in South Africa Tue, 07 Oct 2025 09:33:56 +0000 en-ZA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 254850515 ESPN secures UEFA Women’s Champions League media rights   https://twfld.com/espn-secures-uefa-womens-champions-league-media-rights/ Tue, 07 Oct 2025 09:33:53 +0000 https://twfld.com/?p=27777 Excitement and intrigue with the prospect of this one that makes so much sense, today ESPN has announced the signing of a five-year agreement for exclusive multimedia rights to the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL), from the 2025/26 through the 2029/30 seasons. The deal expands ESPN’s global footprint in women’s soccer, including all 75 matches in the competition each season, the draws, highlights, magazine, and archive programming. Coverage spans Spanish-language rights in the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

This new agreement complements The Walt Disney Company’s recent media rights agreement to bring the UEFA Women’s Champions League to Disney+ across Europe, positioning ESPN on Disney+ as the primary destination for fans in these key territories. 

“The UEFA Women’s Champions League is one of the most prestigious competitions in sport, with unmatched global reach,” said Tim Bunnell, Senior Vice President, Programming Acquisitions, ESPN. “This agreement represents another key milestone in our ongoing effort to deliver the most compelling sporting events to fans everywhere. As we expand ESPN’s portfolio of women’s sports, we remain committed to elevating world-class women’s football for global audiences.”

Added Guy-Laurent Epstein, UC3 Co-Managing Director, “We are proud to extend our collaboration with ESPN, a key broadcast partner that shares our ambition to grow the UEFA Women’s Champions League globally. This agreement will bring the competition to millions of fans across key international markets, reinforcing our commitment to expanding the global reach and impact of women’s football.”

The agreement underscores ESPN’s continued commitment to women’s sports, adding the UEFA Women’s Champions League to an unprecedented portfolio of women’s sports available on ESPN – The Walt Disney Company sports brand – globally. This growing lineup includes UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, WNBA, NWSL, Women’s Super League, Liga MX Femenil, Women’s Basketball Championships, Women’s College World Series, Women’s Volleyball, Women’s College Gymnastics Championship, and more. Through strategic rights acquisitions and programming over 45 years, ESPN has been a driving force connecting fans to women’s sports.

The UEFA Women’s Champions League will debut a new 18-team league phase format in the 2025-26 season. Following the official draw on September 19, the league phase kicks off Tuesday, October 7, featuring six matchdays through mid-December. Knockout rounds begin in February 2026, with the season concluding at the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway, in May.

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