Heavyweight sports marketing agency IMG has extended and expanded its international media rights tie-up with Dutch men’s soccer’s top-tier Eredivisie for another five years.
Through an extension unveiled today, IMG will continue as the Eredivisie’s distribution partner for overseas broadcast rights until the end of the 2029-30 campaign.
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The current deal for those rights between the pair, which began at the start of 2022-23, had been set to run out at the end of the ongoing 2024-25 campaign.
The agency has sold global media rights to the Dutch league for over 20 years.
IMG will also provide global advisory services for the 18-team league as it looks to grow its global brand presence.
The tender process for agency rights to the league’s international media and betting rights went live in early May, with a bid deadline of May 30 – while IMG has retained the media rights element, the betting rights have been relinquished.
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By GlobalDataRobert Klein, IMG’s managing director, soccer, media, said: “Over nearly 25 years, our successful collaboration has delivered commercial growth and opportunity for the Eredivisie, helping the league reach new audiences around the world. We’re proud to extend and evolve our long-standing partnership with the Eredivisie.”
One of the last significant media rights deals IMG struck for the Eredivisie came early this year when a blackout in Japan was ended through a tie-up with the FujiTV network.
Bas Raemakers, head of international commerce and strategy at the Eredivisie, added: “IMG has been a long-standing and trusted partner of the Eredivisie. We are delighted to continue and expand the relationship with IMG and further build on the league’s growing international presence.”
Raemakers was elevated to this role in late September, having first joined the league in April 2022.
Domestically, meanwhile, live coverage of the Eredivisie for a Dutch audience will be provided by the ESPN sports broadcaster until 2030.
In terms of IMG’s recent soccer activity, meanwhile, late July saw the agency extend and expand its relationship with the Saudi Pro League (SPL) and Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), through a five-year production deal.
