As he was re-elected for a four-year term as president of the European club and international football governing body, Aleksander Čeferin has revealed that UEFA is to launch an online video platform within the next six months.
The 51-year old Slovenian, who was first elected as UEFA's seventh President in September 2016, pledged that ‘unity, hope, respect and solidarity’ would be key elements in UEFA's strategy, mission and activities during the next term of his presidency.
He insisted that, despite recent successes and positive developments, in particular concerning the spirit of unity that was prevailing across European football, UEFA would not tread water in fulfilling its role as the governing body of the game on this continent. “The most dangerous thing we could do is to rest on our laurels and bask in our current situation,” he stated. “We are in a fairly remarkable position, but that is not enough.”
In this regard, Čeferin conceded that a major challenge in the years ahead would involve making football more accessible to all fans across the planet, and at the heart of achieving this objective would be digital video platforms. “This is why I am pleased to announce that UEFA will be launching its OTT platform in the next six months," he revealed. “We are fully aware that a revolution is under way and are in the process of agreeing historic partnerships with the world's leading companies in this field.
"We have already started to move in this direction thanks to a sponsorship deal with the Alibaba Group,” he added. “This partnership is more than a simple sponsorship deal. It's a first agreement that opens up new horizons, such as the creation of a centre of excellence in new football technologies or joint e-commerce projects. Together, we are inventing the future, and our only limit is our imagination.”
UEFA stressed that even though the service would likely be ready by June 2019, it could not feature the key and massively popular Champions League until 20121 at the earliest when current right deals expire. International football would likely be made available a year after this.