European soccer's governing body UEFA looks set to award broadcast rights in Moldova to its array of men's club competitions over the next four seasons to Romanian group Clever Media (which holds the same rights in its home market).
The company has entered an exclusive negotiation period with UC3 (the joint venture between UEFA and the European Football Clubs representative body) around these rights, which stretch across the 2027-28 to 2030-31 period.
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The competitions included are the top-tier UEFA Champions League (UCL), second-tier UEFA Europa League, and third-tier UEFA Conference League. The first group-stage games across all these competitions are taking place in mid-September.
The decision to enter into these exclusive negotiations was taken following a process conducted by UEFA and Relevent Football Partners, UEFA's exclusive agency for club competition commercial rights through 2033.
UEFA club competition rights in Moldova are currently held by pay-TV broadcaster Jurnal TV, in a deal coming to an end at the conclusion of the 2026-27 campaign.
In terms of Moldovan history in the UCL, Sheriff Tiraspol made it all the way to the group stages in 2021-22, but since then, no team has been able to emulate that achievement.
Clever Media, meanwhile, broadcasts the Prima Sport channels in neighboring Romania – the network holds a share of UEFA club competition rights during the current cycle, splitting these with DIGI Romania.
Regarding the next cycle of UEFA club competition action, September has already seen iQIYI Sports, the Chinese digital streaming platform, announce an extension covering the 2027-31 cycle.
Sportcal understands the new deal is a significant uplift on the current figure, with iQIYI bidding aggressively to stave off competition from other interested parties.
Other recent deals include telecoms firm Advanced Info Services being named as the preferred bidder for these rights in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.
International pay-TV media powerhouse Canal+ acquired the rights in a range of territories across sub-Saharan Africa last month, while NBC-owned Spanish-language US broadcaster Telemundo also agreed a deal.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Munich (Germany) and Barcelona (Spain) will host the finals of the UCL in 2028 and 2029, respectively.
