The German football federation, the Deutsche Fussball-Liga (DFL), has announced it will invite several investors to bid for the Bundesliga’s marketing rights.
Sources close to Reuters confirmed the DFL’s bidding process for stakes in the German top-flight league’s marketing rights and has initially invited five financial firms for projected bids between €900m-€1bn.
Advent, Blackstone, Bridgepoint, CVC and EQT are the five strategic partners listed as potential investors in the Bundesliga, outlined in a letter by the DFL.
It is believed that four of the five invited investors will make preliminary bids once December rolls around. The DFL will hold a general meeting on 11 December so Bundesliga clubs can vote on the marketing rights process, with two-thirds of the votes required for it to proceed.
The German football association stated that the bidding process is intended to bolster its national media product and grow deeper into its digital and international business and presence.
The total stake for investors to acquire would be 8% in a newly created marketing entity for the Bundesliga to last for up to 20 years.
The reverse auction process will seek to acquire a total of €1bn from financial investors to hold a stake in Bundesliga marketing, television, advertising and digital rights.
The DFL letter revealed that they will have control over who will preside over the new marketing firm with investors also holding no authority over how the Bundesliga will be set up in the future.
