The Austrian football’s top-tier Bundesliga (ÖFBL) has enlisted the services of Munich-based boutique media rights consultancy, SN1, to advise on its rights strategies for the 2026-27 season onward. This partnership marks a significant step in the league's efforts to maximize its commercial potential and reach.
The next media rights cycle for the Bundesliga matches will commence with the 2026-27 campaign. The consulting firm SN1 has been tasked with providing a range of services to aid in this transition. These include the analysis and evaluation of key commercial growth factors, preparation of a formal tender process and assessment of direct-to-consumer opportunities in conjunction with strategic partnerships capable of providing commercial leverage
These responsibilities will encompass both domestic and international media rights tenders for the upcoming cycle.
Exploiting new market development opportunities
This appointment comes as part of ÖFBL's strategy to "further exploit new market development opportunities" beyond the current media rights cycle, which concludes after the 2025-26 season. With SN1's expertise, ÖFBL aims to generate a fit-for-future consumer-centric offering that maximizes reach and drives revenue growth.
Currently, live coverage of Austria's 12-team league is provided by Sky Osterreich, a dominant pay-television broadcaster domestically. This deal came into effect in 2022 and is reported to be worth €160 million ($177.3 million) over four seasons.
In addition to live coverage by Sky Osterreich, highlights are provided by ORF, an Austrian public-service broadcaster.
The future of Austrian broadcasting
Christian Ebenbauer, ÖFBL chief executive expressed optimism about this new partnership while Sascha Kojic, founder and CEO at SN1 also shared his thoughts on their collaboration.
Christian Ebenbauer, ÖFBL chief executive, said:
“We believe in a broad range of opportunities for the further development of our leagues, in a media world empowered by the urge to innovate and driven by serving specific consumer needs and requests. The time has come to embrace the opportunities technology and the capital market offer.”
SN1's portfolio extends beyond football, with a long-term deal in place with the Volleyball World commercial entity until 2032. The agency also has tie-ups with other sports properties such as the European Handball Federation and Ski Austria. The 2024-25 Austrian Bundesliga season began on August 2 and will conclude on May 25. As this season progresses, all eyes will be on how this new partnership shapes the future of media rights management for Austrian football.
