Dutch broadcasters Vodafone/Ziggo, T-Mobile, Delta and KPN are reportedly preparing to make a joint bid for the broadcast rights to the Netherlands' elite football league, the Eredivisie.
The current domestic broadcast rights to the Eredivisie are in the hands of Disney-owned US sports network ESPN, after previously being held by fellow American network FOX Sports.
However, that deal with ESPN runs out at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, and the Eredivisie is currently going through the process of evaluating bids for its next media rights cycle.
This consortium of media companies has supposedly claimed it wants to ensure that "Dutch football remains accessible to everyone" and will attempt to do via this acquisition.
The group's plan has been submitted to the Eredivisie and will now be analysed by the league's 18 member clubs, alongside bids from other broadcasters.
One such interested party is Apple, who according to reports from late last year, are interested in competing for the domestic rights to the Eredivisie too.
Meanwhile, IMG, the American talent management company owned by Endeavour, renewed their global broadcast rights deal with the Eredivisie last summer, and will continue to provide coverage of the Dutch top flight around the world until the conclusion of the 2024/25 season.
The Eredivisie remains the sixth biggest football league in Europe, according to the latest UEFA club co-efficient rankings, and the domestic rights to such a competition will certainly be a lucrative catch for the winning party, especially in a football-crazed country like the Netherlands.
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