Global sports streaming service, DAZN, has announced a five-year extension to its broadcast rights partnership with Spanish soccer’s LaLiga in the Belgian market. This new deal will extend their partnership through the 2030-31 campaign.
The extension of this agreement will bring the pair's collaboration in Belgium (initially via Eleven Sports) to a total of 16 years. Initially, the deal was announced for a four-year extended term before adding an additional year following the thrilling El Clasico derby game between Barcelona and Real Madrid on May 11 that ended with a Barcelona victory.
LaLiga and particularly Real Madrid have garnered significant interest from viewers in Belgium not only due to their global stature but also because of Belgian icon Thibaut Courtois' role as goalkeeper for Real Madrid. Other notable players include Atletico Madrid defender Axel Witsel, Seville trio Dodi Lukebakio, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Stanis Idumbo who have all represented Belgium’s senior or youth category national teams along with Las Palmas forward Adnan Januzaj.
History of broadcasting rights
DAZN first began broadcasting LaLiga in 2023 after taking over Eleven Sports broadcaster which had initially acquired rights during the 2015-16 season. This means that by the end of this new deal, these rights would have stayed with one rightsholder for an impressive span of 16 years.
This week also saw DAZN announcing similar five-year extensions in neighboring markets Germany and Austria while adding Switzerland to its coverage list. Since launching its platform in Germany and Austria back in 2016, LaLiga has been available on DAZN and enjoys substantial popularity owing to top clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona, and players such as Real’s German international Antonio Rudiger and Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
Earlier in March, LaLiga had launched media rights tenders in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and several other major European markets. In Germany specifically, DAZN also holds rights to the domestic Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A along with a set of domestic LaLiga rights. The extension of this partnership consolidates DAZN's stewardship of LaLiga rights in Belgium (and non-exclusively Luxembourg) through the end of the decade. This move is expected to further enhance the viewing experience for sports fans while providing them with more opportunities for sports betting.
