Belgian men's soccer's top-tier Pro League is facing a potential domestic TV blackout for its upcoming fixtures. This comes after the termination of the primary rights deal between the competition and sports streaming service, DAZN.
The agreement for DAZN to cover Belgian Pro League matches was initially set to run through 2029-30. However, it has come to an abrupt end due to DAZN's failure in finding at least two other distribution partners for its coverage.
According to the original terms of the deal, DAZN was required to secure wider distribution by striking deals with two or more partners who could bring action from the 16-team Pro League to a broader audience. Despite months of negotiations with several telecommunications operators in Belgium (including Proximus, Telenet, and Orange), no agreement has been reached.
Financial implications and future uncertainty
DAZN renegotiated its media rights agreement with the league last year for a five-year extension at €84.2 million per season – significantly lower than their previous contract worth €103 million annually.
With this termination, there is now uncertainty over whether action from matchday 16 in the Pro League will be shown domestically. If no short-term solution is identified before then, it could result in a blackout – representing a significant blow for both the Pro League and its member clubs on top of losing out on substantial revenue from DAZN.
Exploring direct-to-consumer services amidst struggles
Earlier this month reports emerged that teams within the Pro League were considering creating their own direct-to-consumer (DTC) service as an alternative home for their domestic media rights amidst struggles with DAZN.
Even prior to renewing their contract with DAZN last year, teams had been considering adopting a DTC model. While the current preference is to see out at least the current campaign with DAZN, the concept remains an option for future seasons.
There have been numerous complaints about DAZN's coverage of the Pro League season and its terms and conditions for customers in general. Despite these issues, DAZN has managed to strike domestic deals for Pro League highlights with VRT, a Flemish-language public broadcaster in Belgium, and RTBF, a French-language Belgian public-service broadcaster.
