The rights shift is part of a broader realignment in U.S. soccer media. English-language Champions League rights remain with CBS, while Telemundo’s parent company has been aggressively stacking Spanish-language soccer properties. Days before the UEFA announcement, the Bundesliga completed a separate three-year Spanish-language deal with Telemundo worth just under $10 million annually, covering more than 100 matches per season on linear TV and Peacock. That agreement followed a five-year English-language Bundesliga pact with Versant, valued at $20 million per year, and together the two deals kept the league’s total U.S. revenue roughly flat relative to its previous ESPN contract.
For Telemundo, the UEFA acquisition fills the programming gap that would have opened after the World Cup final. The network already holds Spanish-language rights to the Premier League, and the Bundesliga deal adds weekend morning inventory that fits neatly alongside existing coverage. Joaquin Duro, Telemundo EVP/Sports, noted that the Bundesliga’s Friday-to-Sunday schedule “play very well for us where we can move from Telemundo to Universo and obviously all of those on Peacock.”
The strategy leans heavily on a multiplatform distribution model that blends broadcast, cable, and streaming. By placing every Champions League match on Peacock while also using linear channels for high-profile fixtures, Telemundo aims to capture both traditional cable households and cord-cutting demographics. The approach mirrors the hybrid structure the network used during the World Cup, when it aired 92 of 104 tournament matches on its main broadcast network and streamed every game on Peacock.