Revenues from UEFA competitions

Let us finalise this series by condensing the revenues the top teams' earning from the UEFA competitions. 

For starters, the 2015/16 season the UEFA Champions League and Europa League’s media rights generated EUR 1.6 billion and EUR 312 million, respectively.

The largest share of funds available to participants is distributed on the basis of sporting performance,  and more than 40% of funds is still allocated according to the value of UEFA’s broadcasting agreements within clubs’ domestic market (“market pool”).

Therefore, due to lucrative deals with BT (United Kingdom) and Mediaset (Italy), the distribution system is currently most beneficial for Premier League and Serie A clubs.

Sharing Italy’s large Champions League’s market pool revenues with a limited number of other Italian clubs, Juventus FC are an example of a team that has benefited from the current distribution to secure a place among Europe’s top 10 by EV. 

In the last two seasons the Bianconeri have received EUR 165 million from UEFA, EUR 111 million alone from the Italian market pool.

Manchester United FC have maintained their position as the most valuable club despite missing European football in 2014/15 and only qualifying for the UEFA Europa League at the end of the 2015/16 season, thus receiving lower income from international competitions.

In the last two seasons Spanish clubs have been the top earners in terms of revenues from UEFA competitions. This result has been mainly driven by performance bonuses resulting from international on-pitch dominance rather than being due to the market share allocated to Spanish clubs.

With the aim of rewarding greater sporting performance, from the 2018/19 season UEFA will introduce a new four pillar financial distribution system, including a fixed starting fee, bonuses according to the clubs' performance and individual coefficient and a reduction of the market pool’s weight.

However, the recently approved reform of the UEFA Champions League will also guarantee each of the four top-ranked national associations four spots in the group stage. While limiting the extent to which some clubs benefit from the market pool, this new format highlights once again the impact a club’s underlying market can have on operating revenues and, ultimately, on its EV.