In a report released exclusively to Reuters outside Italy, sports business consultancy group StageUp estimated European football's governing body UEFA distributed 746.4 million euros to the 32 clubs competing in the world's most lucrative club tournament last season.
Treble winners Inter Milan jumped to the fourth place from eighth, with a total of 174.5 million euros earned in seven competitions. English Premier League's Arsenal were third.
Last season's runners-up Bayern Munich climbed two spots to seventh in the ranking, with 165.8 million euros earned in six competitions.
Barcelona, who were denied a second straight win when they lost out in last season's semi-finals to Jose Mourinho's Inter, were sixth, behind French club Olympique Lyon who have played one competition more.
Approximately half of the Champions League's total prize money is distributed on the basis of television market share, while the other half is awarded as fixed sums on results.
