Streaming platform DAZN and French-language public broadcaster RTBF have successfully negotiated the rights to broadcast footage of the Jupiler Pro League, Belgium's premier football league. The five-season deal, announced on Sunday, will extend until 2030.
The agreement encompasses digital summaries that will be featured on RTBF Actus and Auvio. It also includes broadcasting images in La Tribune on Monday evenings. Shorter highlights will be incorporated into news bulletins and the sports programme 100% Sport. Furthermore, RTBF has been granted permission to broadcast excerpts from foreign competitions.
However, despite this progress with RTBF, DAZN is yet to finalize an agreement with Belgium’s telecom operators who have traditionally been the primary distributors of live matches.
Disagreements with Telecom operators
Telecom operators Telenet, Proximus and Orange are contesting that DAZN is overpricing the rights while bundling them together with Spanish and Italian leagues. This disagreement has led to a delay in reaching an accord even two months after the commencement of the new football season.
DAZN COO Jan Mosselmans revealed earlier this week that discussions with Proximus had recently resumed and were "moving in the right direction". Talks are also ongoing with smaller non-traditional operators. However, negotiations remain at a standstill with other major telecom providers according to Mosselmans.
As it stands now due to these unresolved issues fans have limited options - they can either use DAZN’s own app or watch French-language highlights via RTBF’s broadcasts.
Uncertainty over Belgian Cup broadcasts
In related news concerning Belgian football broadcasts, there remains uncertainty over television coverage for this year's Belgian Cup tournament. While VTM and VRT aired some matches last year no agreement has been reached for this year's tournament. Similar to the situation with the Pro League, this could still change.
While DAZN and RTBF have made significant strides in securing broadcasting rights for Belgian football, there remain hurdles to overcome. The ongoing negotiations with telecom operators and uncertainty over Belgian Cup broadcasts highlight the complexities of sports broadcasting rights. For now, fans can look forward to enjoying Jupiler Pro League action via DAZN’s app or RTBF’s broadcasts.
