Bundesliga and Nent come together in ‘historic’ media rights tie-up

European media company Nordic Entertainment Group (Nent) has extended its media rights partnership with the German Bundesliga for a further four seasons, as part of a ‘historic’ agreement which runs until 2029.

Nent currently manages media rights sales for the top-flight Bundesliga and second-tier Bundesliga 2, in multiple markets, including Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

The agreement has now been expanded to cover two extra cycles, spanning the 2025/26 season to the 2028/29 campaign, now covering the German Supercup competition and Bundesliga relegation play-offs.

Furthermore, according to a joint statement, the extension ‘marks the longest media rights agreement that either Nent Group or Bundesliga International has ever entered into, highlighting the strong relationship between the two organisations’.

“The Bundesliga scores so highly in excitement, quality and fan involvement,” noted Anders Jensen, Nent Group President and Chief Executive Officer. “Viaplay can now bring supporters in our new and established markets even closer to their heroes every week until the end of the decade. 

“This historic partnership across nine countries is exactly what we are aiming for – long contracts that allow us to take a long-term perspective on developing the service for existing and, very importantly, future fans.

“This shows our long-term commitment to Bundesliga football with whom we are very proud to be partners. This takes Nent Group one step closer to realising our ambition of being the European streaming champion.”

In February 2020, Nent inked an extension with the Bundesliga until the end of the 2024/25 season but the broadcaster has already put pen to paper on a new deal before the cycle kicked in.

As a result of the tie-up, all matches will be aired on Nent’s over-the-top (OTT) streaming service Viaplay – which is set to launch in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in March and Poland in August – with local language commentary available for viewers and studio programming.

Robert Klein, Bundesliga International Chief Executive, commented: “By committing to this long-term agreement, we are once again reaffirming our strategic approach to work hand-in-hand with our partners and deliver a world-class product to fans throughout Europe.

“Given Nent Group’s streaming ambitions and attitude towards innovation, which reflects our own ethos, Nent Group and the Bundesliga are building on the foundations of a great partnership, and we look forward to many more exciting moments together in the coming years.”

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