Bundesliga broadcasting rights are undergoing significant changes, with DAZN acquiring the Saturday match conference and 79 Sunday matches, while Sky retains live rights for select Saturday and Friday matches. The German Football League has launched an auction for 15 TV packages for the 2025/26 to 2028/29 seasons, following a previous attempt that was halted due to disputes. Additionally, ARD faces challenges with its ‘Sportschau’ program due to new highlight formats proposed for Saturday mornings.
Changes in Bundesliga Broadcasting Rights
In a significant shift for Bundesliga fans, Sky will no longer air the Saturday afternoon match conference starting next season. The popular pay-per-view sports channel DAZN has successfully acquired package A, securing the rights to the conference call, a concept originally developed by Sky. Additionally, DAZN has clinched the broadcasting rights for 79 Sunday matches (package D).
Sky’s New Acquisitions and Controversies
Despite losing the conference rights, Sky has managed to secure the contentious package B in a second auction attempt. This package grants them live broadcasting rights for Bundesliga matches on Saturday afternoons at 3:30 PM, Friday evenings, and also includes relegation matches. Furthermore, Sky acquired package C from the German Football League (DFL), which consists of matches scheduled for Saturdays at 6:30 PM and the Supercup. Though this is the smallest package with just 34 matches, it is highly coveted due to its attractive fixtures, as reported by ‘Bild’.
As of Monday, the DFL commenced the auction process for Bundesliga TV rights, with the first week focused on paid broadcasts, which constitute a significant portion of Bundesliga’s revenue. This auction includes a total of 15 TV packages for the seasons spanning 2025/26 to 2028/29, to be awarded to the highest bidders among channels and media corporations.
This auction marks a second attempt after the first was abruptly halted in April due to a dispute between the DFL and DAZN over a bank guarantee related to the allocation of package B, which includes 196 live matches. The German arbitration institution (DIS) ruled that the initial allocation to Sky was invalid, thus restarting the auction process.
Impact on ARD’s ‘Sportschau’
As the auction progresses into its second week, free television lots will be allocated over three days. The DFL’s proposal for Saturday morning highlights presents complexities that may challenge ARD and its flagship program, ‘Sportschau’. The first bouquet offers two formats: Compact and Classic.
The Compact format would see highlights aired on free television on Saturdays from 7:15 PM to 8:15 PM, with pay operators potentially contributing to the funding of ‘Sportschau’. Conversely, the Classic model allows for summaries starting at 6:00 PM, preserving ‘Sportschau’ in its traditional format. However, a shorter version starting at 7:15 PM may not be feasible for ARD, as they have indicated internal concerns. It’s important to note that at 8:00 PM, ARD airs the ‘Tagesschau’, further complicating the scheduling for ‘Sportschau’.