Football Bundesliga TV
All games on one channel again? Cartel office overturns its own rule
As of: 4:12 p.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
Bayern against Dortmund – so far it looks like this: If on Friday, then on DAZN. If on Saturday, then on Sky. Sunday? DAZN
Source: picture alliance/nordphoto GmbH/Christian Schu/Christian Schulze
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Two providers, Sky and DAZN, currently share the live games of the Bundesliga. This is annoying for many fans, but it is specified by the cartel office. But now the market watchdogs are getting their own rule. And: The sacred cow “Sportschau” is touched.
The sale of the national TV rights to the Bundesliga and 2nd league from the 2025/26 season (until 2028/29) by the German Football League (DFL) is entering the hot phase. A pay TV broadcaster can again buy all live games. The Federal Cartel Office has now overturned the no-single-buyer rule (ban on single purchase). This ensured that Sky and DAZN share the pay rights in the current four-year cycle.
“We explicitly welcome the cartel office’s decision; the removal only has positive effects, including for the fans,” said DFL managing director Steffen Merkel. It remains unclear, however, whether a pay-TV broadcaster has the financial means to acquire all live rights. If two pay broadcasters end up winning the contract, according to Merkel, with the approval of the Cartel Office, they will be able to “cooperate much more closely” than before.
The last rights sale brought in an average of 1.1 billion euros for the 36 professional clubs – five percent less than for the 2017/18 to 2020/21 cycle (1.16 billion). 85 percent currently comes from pay TV. Experts expect a further decline; even reaching a corridor of 900 million to one billion euros would be a great success. But 800 to 900 million euros would be more realistic. Merkel counters: “We are going into the tender with a broad chest.”
Camera in the cabin wing – League is planning more access for the providers
The league therefore wants to make its product more valuable with additional content. These include short game-related interviews with one player after the team bus arrives at the stadium, images from a camera installed in the changing room to capture the first emotions when the players come in, and super flash interviews on the field immediately after the final whistle. And above all, more access to the teams during the week, such as recordings during training, more interviews and background stories with the stars, in order to be able to offer the rights partners more between match days. And: Content from the respective club TV will be made available to the DFL media partners upon request.
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The tender documents will be sent to interested parties in February. The auction process starts in mid-April. The rights will be awarded by the DFL at the end of April/beginning of May. The most important details of the new TV rights tenderThe DFL is tendering seven live packages: five with Bundesliga rights (A to E) and two with second division rights (F and G). The packages at a glance:
A (Pay): the Bundesliga conference on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (previously Sky). B (Pay): the five Bundesliga individual games on Saturday at 3.30 p.m. (previously Sky) as well as the Friday game (8.30 p.m./previously DAZN) as well as the relegation Bundesliga vs. 2nd league C (Pay): the top game on Saturday evening (6.30 p.m p.m./previously Sky) and the Supercup before the start of the season between the German champions and the DFB Cup winners. In order to make the top game, which will be broadcast with 28 cameras from 2025/26, more attractive for viewers, the broadcaster will in future have the right to select a game on the match day up to ten times instead of the previous eight times (First Pick).
15 “lighthouse games” as an incentive
New: In addition to the top game on Saturday evening, there will be 15 so-called “lighthouse games” in the Bundesliga (2nd league: five), which are of great interest nationally and internationally and will be given a corresponding media boost in advance through the participation of the clubs involved. These include, for example, derbies like Mönchengladbach against Cologne.
D (Pay): the three Sunday games at 3:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (previously DAZN). New: There will be five more games on Sunday at 7.30 p.m. (15 in total) to relieve the pressure on the European Cup participants. The reason is the reform of the Champions, Europa and Conference League in league format with more games for each club. E (Free): the Bundesliga opening game, a game on the last (17th) first half of the season and on the first (18th) second half of the season. In addition, the relegation Bundesliga vs. 2nd league and 2nd league vs. 3rd league as well as the Supercup and the opening game of the 2nd league (previously Sat.1). F (Pay): the 2nd league on Friday, Friday, Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday as well as the relegation 2nd league vs. 3rd league. G (Free and/or Pay): the second division game on Saturday at 8.30 p.m. (previously Sky and Sport1)
DFL managing director Merkel also had two less pleasant pieces of news for the fans: The “English week”, which was unpopular because of the away trips, will continue to exist, otherwise the winter break would have had to be shortened. And: the future of the “holy cow” ARD sports show on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (until 8 p.m.) with the first pictures on free TV is uncertain.
Merkel: “There is no grandfathering.” Alternatively, a later highlight report shortened to one hour will be advertised from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. This would not be an option for ARD due to the Tagesschau starting at 8 p.m., but could be interesting for private broadcasters such as RTL or Sat.1. In the end, the better bid decides the future of the sports show.
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