Germany

[DE] Agreement on Soccer Rights

IRIS 2006-7:1/18

Max Schoenthal

Berlin

Germany’s national soccer association (DFB) and Deutsche Telekom have reached an agreement on broadcasting rights for German Bundesliga soccer matches for the next three years. When Arena, a subsidiary of the cable operator Unity Media, acquired the Pay TV rights and the previous rightsholder Premiere was left empty-handed, there was disagreement about whether Deutsche Telekom, which holds the rights in respect of internet broadcasting, was also permitted to broadcast the games via internet protocol on cable and satellite, in cooperation with Premiere. This would have meant that all current Premiere customers could have been catered for, and two competing Pay TV operators would de facto have been vying with each other. In return for agreeing to forego this alternative, Telekom has been awarded the rights to the Bundesliga name as well as the broadcasting rights for mobile end devices.

In the meantime, a decision has also been made concerning the granting of broadcasting rights for pubs and restaurants. These rights, too, will be exercised by Arena, which means that Premiere will largely have to withdraw from this field as well.