S4C set to lose rights to Wales football matches as UEFA sells rights to Viaplay
S4C is set to lose the ability to broadcast Wales’ matches after UEFA sold the rights to Viaplay.
The Football Association of Wales announced this morning that UEFA and Viaplay have entered a four-year partnership in the UK for Viaplay to show at least 40 exclusively live matches featuring Wales. They have also sold the rights to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
When announcing this new four-year partnership from 2024, Viaplay has made a commitment to making Cymru matches available with Welsh language commentary.
The Chief Executive of the FAW, Noel Mooney, took to Twitter to say that discussions were continuing.
“UEFA sell the centralised rights for all 55 national associations in Europe,” he said. “We are in discussions with them re Welsh language, promotion of domestic game internationally, free to air matches of the Cymru national teams etc. Will update ASAP.”
Starting in 2024, Cymru’s European Qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2028 and FIFA World Cup 2026 will be exclusively available on Viaplay, along with UEFA Nations League 2024/25 and 2026/27, in addition to international challenge matches.
The agreement comes through UEFA’s centralised National Association media rights sales process, under which UEFA takes sole responsibility for the marketing and sales of broadcast rights for member associations, the FAW said.
This process ensures a guaranteed amount received by the FAW for Cymru matches.
Viaplay is a streaming service that will launch in the UK during the second half of 2022 with a broad offering that combines live sports with premium original content and more, the statement said. Further details of Viaplay’s UK content, pricing and launch date will be announced in due course.
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Well, that counts me out then…I, for one, will not be subscribing to Viaplay, or whatever they are called!! :/
Definitely the end for me in terms of watching our national side.
At a time of financial austerity, people are again having to pay to watch things that matter to them. Disgraceful!
Yet again it’s money those who run the game seek rather than ensuring that the sport reaches the maximum number of supporters possible. Once again the sport of the ‘working class man/woman’ is being put beyond the pockets of the ‘working class man/woman ‘ by executives for whom there are few financial restraints upon their personal spending as the cost of living crisis so devastating to the poorest and most vulnerable in Cymru and elsewhere is but a minor pin prick hardly puncturing their bank accounts at all. The Welsh National Soccer Team are icons in Cymru, idolised by many… Read more »
If UEFA sold the rights, how come England managed to get an opt-out?
Cymru should decide rights. UEFA are nothing more than a governing body for competitions. Disgusting move
Thank the internet for dodgyboxes
I thought so the FAW is selling the fans down the river but apparently no its UEFA who’s doing the deed.We have to accept,if you are going to play with the big boys you have to accept their financial arrangements.