The German Football League (DFL) is preparing intensively for the forthcoming tender for the media rights of the Bundesliga and 2nd division. The current contracts expire in the summer of 2025 – and the next billion dollar deal is already at stake for the four-year period from the 2025/2026 season up to and including 2028/2029. The first details are now from the industry magazine Spouses been published. In the planning of the DFL and its 36 clubs, there seems to be movement compared to the current rights period.
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In future, it should in principle be possible again for a single provider to acquire all the TV rights to the Bundesliga. This was recently forbidden by the Cartel Office, the so-called “No Single Buyer Rule” applies. This ultimately changed the current division between the pay providers Sky (Games on Saturday) and the streaming platform DAZN (Friday and Sunday). For the new call for tenders, the DFL intends to sell the broadcasting rights of all first-division games to just one broadcaster, provided this is permitted under antitrust law.
End of the “No Single Buyer Rule” possible
The end of the “no single buyer rule” would offer the opportunity for numerous interested parties to launch a large-scale attack. According to information from SPORTBUZZER, the sports portal of the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND), increases the chances that US giants such as Apple and Amazon will be even more interested in Bundesliga media rights.
Another far-reaching innovation: English weeks could be completely eliminated. The games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be canceled and replaced by a shorter winter break. As far as the game plan is concerned, five more games are to be kicked off at 7.30 p.m. on Sunday evening to further relieve the German European Cup starters.
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As part of the new tender, the pay-TV broadcasters and streaming services could have a direct influence on the scheduling of a larger number of games to make it easier to plan. There should also be additional highlight rights.
4.4 billion euros for Bundesliga rights
The DFL is currently generating a total of 4.4 billion euros for the four-year cycle, which is distributed to the 36 professional clubs. The currently valid rights agreements were concluded in the summer of 2020 shortly after the outbreak of the corona pandemic, which means that the income from the TV contracts has remained approximately the same were considered a great success by the then league boss Christian Seifert.
