Following legal action taken by DAZN over alleged anti-competitive handlings regarding Bundesliga broadcast rights for its next cycle, the German Football League (DFL) stated that the case will be resolved next month.
The DFL confirmed that the arbitration process will conclude in September and if both parties can come to an agreement, it will resume the tender process for the next Bundesliga broadcast rights cycle, which was suspended last April due to DAZN’s legal action.
The sports streaming platform offered upwards of €1.6bn for package B of Bundesliga rights but was subsequently rejected by the DFL. This package saw up to 196 games on offer to broadcast, including all Friday night games and all Saturday afternoon fixtures annually.
The DFL instead opted to accept German pay-TV station Sky Deutschland’s offer for package B, which was reportedly €300m less than DAZN’s bid.
DAZN deemed this to be in violation of market competition rules and thus took the DFL to court over what it deemed to be anti-competitive dealings.
A DAZN court victory will more than likely see it retain domestic Bundesliga rights for the next cycle, which begins after the end of the 2024/25 season through to the end of the 2028/29 season.
The sports streaming service currently holds a rights package of 106 Bundesliga games annually from 2021-2025. More Bunesliga content for the next five years will only help to serve its growth in the German market.
However, if the DFL were to come out with a court victory, this may only extend the tender process until the German football body finds a possible new suitor.
Steffen Merkel, DFL Co-Chief Executive, said: “We will have a solution over the next weeks and months, because that’s what’s important to us, as the DFL, and is acceptable for the clubs, and won’t cause them trouble and problems.
“The rights are starting to take effect in the summer of 2025, but there’s a licensing procedure and there’s a money distribution debate with clubs beforehand.
“After the arbitration procedure, we want to resume an auction and to optimise a result that still accounts for 80 per cent of the revenues that goes through the organisation’s books. It would not be the right point to think about an offering in four or five right cycles.”
A loss of Bundesliga broadcast rights would deal DAZN a blow in its bid to become a leader of live football broadcasting after building up an impressive portfolio in recent years.
DAZN currently has rights to broadcast live games from four of Europe’s top five leagues; Spain’s La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A and in a more recent deal – France’s Ligue 1.
