The broadcaster’s opening week of coverage was not without its gaps and glitches but it aimed high with an impressive array of experts
There was a new look and feel to the Women’s Champions League this week as live matches on Disney+ arrived. With the streaming platform embarking on a five-year deal, the tournament is in intriguing territory with a paywall, and audiences will be hoping for some Disney+ magic to justify their subscriptions.
Football-wise, whether it was Barcelona’s masterpiece, Twente holding Chelsea or Melchie Dumornay’s second goal arrowing past the Arsenal defence, the entertainment level was thankfully more Mulan than Mulan II, but could the same be said about the coverage?
In terms of broadcasting the on-pitch action, there was a noticeable uplift with a minimum of six cameras covering every match, double the minimum under the previous rights deal with Dazn. It is some way off the dozens of angles often available for men’s Champions League ties but a step in the right direction. It meant that when Cecilia Salvai headed Juventus level against Benfica in the first half of Disney’s first game replays showed four angles, accompanied by the words of a polished Jacqui Oatley and Anita Asante.
