Next Media, the Asia-based media group, has extended its exclusive live broadcast rights deal covering German soccer’s top-tier Bundesliga in Vietnam until 2028.
The deal, announced today (August 21) represents a three-year extension on the existing tie-up that the network had in place with the DFL German soccer body, which was struck in advance of the 2020-21 campaign and was due to run out in 2025. This new agreement will conclude at the end of 2027-28.
It will, however, effectively be a five-year affair, starting immediately and replacing the last two seasons under the terms of the previous agreement. The 2023-24 Bundesliga campaign began on Friday (August 18).
The exclusive coverage rights held by Next Media range across not only the Bundesliga but also the second-tier 2. Bundesliga, German Super Cup curtain-raiser, post-season relegation playoffs, and additional on-demand shoulder programming.
This announcement comes a few days after international pay-TV heavyweight BeIN Sports expanded and extended its rights agreement covering the Bundesliga in 10 Asia-Pacific countries.
The countries covered by that deal are Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
Next Media, meanwhile, has said that as part of its new tie-up, it will work directly with VMG Media JSC, a Vietnamese sports live-streaming firm. Both parties will then work with the league’s Bundesliga International division to sub-license the rights to other broadcasters, “ensuring the best value and reach across Vietnam.”
The Bundesliga has said that the decision to enter into a new partnership has been taken “after exceptional on-screen results in the last three seasons as well as a number of successful joint activations both in Vietnam and in Germany.”
Last March, the DFL signed a memorandum of understanding with both the Vietnam Football Federation and the Vietnam Professional Football bodies. As well as this, top Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund took part in a friendly match against the Vietnam national team in Hanoi, last November.
Peer Naubert, chief marketing officer at Bundesliga International, said: “When we sign agreements with our broadcasters, our intention is that it will be a long-term partnership based on mutual trust and respect. Prolonging our deal with Next Media is a fantastic reflection of both sides’ commitment to working together, not only on the broadcast product but as equal partners in the development of football throughout Vietnam.
“When we began three years ago, we embarked on a strategic roadmap, which we have stuck to despite the global changes we faced. Since then, our steadfast commitment to this roadmap has remained unwavering, even in the face of global challenges.”
Nguyen Trung Kien, Next Media’s general director, added: “Following the success of the partnership, the level of cooperation between both parties will ascend to even greater heights. This partnership opens doors to innovative avenues beyond traditional broadcasting, marking a transformative phase in our joint pursuit of excellence.”
Over the last few weeks, during the build-up to the new season getting underway, Bundesliga International has struck multiple broadcast rights deals - both new tie-ups and extensions.
As well as the BeIN deal, the league recently announced deals with multiple broadcasters in Brazil. In total, seven broadcasters will show matches for the 2023-24 season on a non-exclusive basis, under a multi-faceted approach that includes pay-TV, free-to-air (FTA), and digital streaming services.
Games will be split between SporTV (pay-TV), OneFootball, CazéTV and Canal GOAT (streaming), and RedeTV! and TV Cultura (FTA).
Other agreements were also recently unveiled in Japan (Abema), and India (Sony Pictures Networks).
Domestically during the company campaign, the live broadcasters will be pay-TV’s Sky Deutschland, streaming platform DAZN, and both Sport1 and ProSiebenSat.1.
