2024-07-19 21:42:51
The new Bundesliga season starts in a few weeks. Fans abroad will then be able to take advantage of a new offer.
Noah Platschko reports from Frankfurt
Starting next season, Bundesliga matches will be available to watch via a so-called season pass – at least abroad. This was announced by the DFL management team, including the two managing directors Marc Lenz and Steffen Merkel, at a meeting with media representatives on Thursday in Frankfurt.
To achieve this, they want to work with a distribution partner. They are confident that they will be able to offer the pass “in just a few weeks” at the start of the season, said Lenz. This is a “complementary offer” to the existing partnerships abroad. The DFL management did not provide any information on how much such a season pass would cost.
“For the first time, we have the option of distributing our rights via OTT in all foreign markets,” Lenz continued. OTT stands for “Over the Top” and means the possibility of being able to play out your content via your own channel over the Internet. This will soon also be possible for users abroad via the official Bundesliga app.
With the newly created platform, the DFL wants to further increase its total revenue from international marketing. In the 23/24 season, new TV deals already saw a 58 percent increase in revenue. Overall, the league lags far behind the Premier League or the Spanish La Liga in terms of revenue from international media rights. On Thursday, the club did not want to go into the reasons for the lack of foreign marketing in recent years. However, in the 24/25 financial year, it wants to continue to push ahead with the conclusion of a partnership for the American TV market.
The DFL leadership also did not provide any new information on the controversial issue of awarding national media rights. Referring to the ongoing arbitration proceedings, Steffen Merkel asked for understanding. “I can’t say anything about that. DAZN has filed a lawsuit. We represent the interests of the clubs and have been confirmed by the clubs’ committees,” said Merkel. Merkel could not or did not want to give a date for the conclusion of the proceedings, but pointed out that in 2005 the rights for the following season were not awarded until December.
Concerns were expressed about the safeguarding of national game operations in a “unilaterally determined framework calendar”. This has become more difficult in the context of the increasing number of games at international level. As the DFL, we have “no say”, said Lenz. In our exchanges with the international associations, we find conditions that are “increasingly difficult to accept”.
Starting next season, the Champions League will be presented in a new guise. In the newly created league phase with 36 teams, the teams will no longer play for six, but eight match days. In addition, a new, bloated Club World Cup with 32 teams will take place next summer, which will limit the scope of the national leagues when it comes to scheduling matches. A possible expansion of the Bundesliga to 20 teams to strengthen it is currently not an issue for the DFL.