The German football league, Bundesliga, is set to restart its domestic media rights auction on November 25th. This move comes after a legal dispute with streaming giant DAZN led to a six-month delay in the process. The auction will cover the next four-year cycle (2025-26 through 2028-29) and aims to conclude before the start of 2025.
Bundesliga's governing body, Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), originally planned to finalize the tender by April 15th. However, this was disrupted when DAZN filed a lawsuit against them. The streaming service claimed that it was unlawfully overlooked in favor of Sky Deutschland for package B - which includes rights to broadcast 196 games per season.
In late September, the German Institute of Arbitration ruled primarily in favor of DAZN and ordered that package B be re-auctioned. As a result, all fifteen packages - seven live rights and eight highlights - are now back up for auction.
Auction details
The upcoming auction will take place in late November with no changes made to any of the packages' specifics. The DFL hopes to wrap up proceedings by mid-January when the league returns from its winter break.
Package B is one of four reserved exclusively for pay-TV broadcasters and includes matches played on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons. It comprises a total of 196 Bundesliga games per season making it one of the most attractive packages available. Under current rules stipulated by DFL, if an offer meets minimum requirements and is at least 20% higher than any other bid, it should be awarded immediately – something that didn't happen previously leading to legal action from DAZN who believed they had placed such an offer.
Currently, live Bundesliga rights are split between DAZN, Sky, ProSiebenSat.1, and Sport1. These deals are collectively worth around €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) annually, a value that the league hopes to maintain in the next deal.
Criticism from DAZN
In a letter sent to co-CEOs Steffen Merkel and Marc Lenz of the DFL as well as all 36 clubs in Germany's top two divisions, DAZN criticized the league for demanding a bank guarantee at short notice. The domestic tender includes four live rights packages for pay-TV broadcasters and two technology-neutral packages covering Bundesliga 2. There is also one free-to-air rights package offering at least nine live games across both leagues, the Supercup, and post-season relegation playoffs.
The rights lots will cover 617 matches per season with three audio rights packages also available along with one 'digital out of home' package. New highlights rights packages have been created which can be used as early as Mondays following weekend action – including broadcasting of 90-second clips on digital platforms.
Despite initial plans to conclude proceedings by June this year after launching in January, legal disputes have led to delays pushing back completion until late November or possibly even mid-January next year.
