Belgian soccer's top-flight Pro League has renewed its domestic media rights agreement with DAZN, the global sports streaming service. However, the new deal is significantly lower than the league's current €103m-a-year contract.
The extended contract, worth €84.2 million (US$87.5 million) per season until 2030, covers several seasons from 2025/26 to 2029/30. This agreement allows DAZN to secure live rights to various leagues and competitions including top-tier Jupiler Pro League matches, second-tier Challenger Pro League, Croky Cup and Supercup, and women’s top-flight Super League
In addition to these live rights, the deal also includes highlights magazines and digital clips. Public service broadcasters VRT and RTBF have secured live radio rights as part of this arrangement.
Context behind the deal
DAZN continues its strategy of securing major domestic soccer rights as flagship properties in markets where it has a significant local presence with this deal. Belgium was one of the more significant territories covered by Eleven Sports, which DAZN acquired in September 2022. Retaining these rights would have been a priority for DAZN given that it also holds rights to top-flight soccer competitions in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
The contract includes unconfirmed provisions for additional payments; hence the league is confident about securing up to €93 million (US$96.7 million) per season once international and streaming deals are taken into account. However, it should be noted that there is a substantial decrease from the previous €103 million (US$107 million)-a-year contract signed by Eleven Sports back in 2020 – indicative of challenging media market conditions across Europe.
Lorin Parys, Pro League chief executive, said,
“More than four million Belgians are fans of our football and follow the Pro League matches weekly via media channels and in the stadiums, together with our clubs and media rights holders, we are working on more innovation, better accessibility of our football for the fans and the development of our competitions as strong brands that provide sports and entertainment.”
While this new deal represents a decrease in value from previous contracts, it ensures that millions of Belgian football fans will continue to have access to their favorite games. It also underscores DAZN's commitment to maintaining its presence in key markets despite challenging market conditions.
