For Belgian football fans, the struggle to find their teams on a traditional television screen has been a source of frustration for months. That tension has finally eased as Orange Belgium returns as DAZN complete Pro League telco distribution sweep, marking the end of a turbulent period of legal battles and broadcasting blackouts.
The agreement ensures that the Belgian Pro League will once again be available via the Orange Belgium telecoms platform. This move completes a trilogy of distribution deals for the rightsholder, DAZN, which has already secured similar carriage agreements with the country’s other major operators, Telenet and Proximus.
Under the new terms, DAZN’s coverage will be delivered through linear channels on the Orange TV service. The setup includes two dedicated channels for the Pro League and two additional channels housing DAZN’s broader international soccer portfolio, alongside continued access via the DAZN app.
Immediate access for the championship race
While the full scope of the agreement is slated to begin with the 2026-27 campaign, which kicks off on August 7, the timing provides a critical lifeline for fans following the current season’s climax. Orange Belgium customers will receive access to select fixtures from the final two gameweeks of the current season.
This is particularly timely given the intensity of the Champions play-off group, where Club Brugge and Royal Union Saint-Gilloise (RUSG) are locked in a tight race for the title. The immediate schedule for Orange subscribers includes high-stakes matchups on May 21, featuring KV Mechelen vs. Club Brugge and KAA Gent vs. RUSG.
The accessibility continues into the following weekend on May 24, with fixtures between Club Brugge and KAA Gent, as well as RUSG facing Anderlecht. These matches represent the culmination of a season that was nearly derailed by corporate disputes over how the games reached the public.
Christophe, the chief consumer officer at Orange Belgium, emphasized the importance of returning these matches to the living room. “We are incredibly pleased to confirm that we have reached an agreement with DAZN to once again offer Belgian football to our customers,” he said. “We know how important this is to our subscribers and we are delighted to be able to offer them not only their favorite local competitions, but also the best of European football. Fans will once again be able to enjoy the biggest competitions – from Belgian fixtures to major European fixtures – via Orange TV.”
A history of legal friction and mandates
The road to this agreement was far from smooth. The current stability follows a period of significant uncertainty regarding Pro League broadcasting rights. In November, DAZN’s five-year contract, which had only taken effect in late July, was prematurely declared null and void by the streaming platform.
The conflict centered on a specific requirement in the original 2025-30 cycle contract: DAZN was mandated to guarantee wider distribution through at least two other partners to ensure the 16-team league remained accessible to a broad audience. When negotiations with Telenet, Proximus, and Orange stalled, DAZN failed to meet these essential terms, leaving matches available exclusively via the DAZN app.
The Pro League responded with legal action, leading to a pivotal ruling in January by the Belgian Arbitration and Mediation Centre, known as CEPANI. The arbitration body ordered DAZN to continue its coverage of the league through the end of the 2025-26 season and instructed the company to pay outstanding rights fees that had been withheld between November and January.
| Timeline | Key Event | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| November | Contract Dispute | DAZN declares Pro League contract null due to distribution failures. |
| January | CEPANI Ruling | DAZN ordered to maintain coverage through 2025-26 and pay fees. |
| Spring | Telco Negotiations | Sequential deals reached with Proximus, Telenet, and Orange Belgium. |
The shift toward hybrid distribution
The resolution of this dispute highlights a broader struggle in the sports world: the tension between “pure” OTT (over-the-top) streaming models and the traditional linear television preferences of many fans. Proximus, which has broadcast the Pro League since the 2005-06 season, noted that its negotiations with DAZN were intensive.
The telco stated it adopted a constructive approach to ensure football remained accessible to those less familiar with new technologies who simply wish to follow their team via linear channels. This hybrid approach—combining a dedicated app with linear TV slots—appears to be the sustainable path forward for DAZN in the Belgian market.
Beyond the domestic league, the deal brings a massive slate of international soccer to Orange TV. DAZN holds the rights to Europe’s “huge five” leagues: the English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Spanish LaLiga, Italian Serie A, and French Ligue 1. For the consumer, this transforms the service from a niche sports app into a comprehensive soccer hub.
As the league enters its final stretch, the focus shifts from the boardroom back to the pitch. The next major checkpoint for the distribution framework will be the full implementation of the linear service for the start of the 2026-27 season on August 7.
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