Bundesliga International, the global commercial rights division of the top German soccer league, has renewed its content partnership with soccer media platform Footballco, across the Middle East and Africa.
Working with the DFL German league body, Footballco will continue to have access to the Bundesliga media database, with its subsidiary outlets able to use videos, photos, and graphics material to produce their own content.
The renewed agreement starts with the release of a three-part docu-series – titled ‘The Era of Arabs’ - produced by Footballco on the history of Arab players in the Bundesliga.
The series will be distributed across Footballco’s channels, which the platform claims reach more than 250 million fans a month across both regions.
Footballco owns, operates, and represents digital soccer media networks spread across the Middle East and Africa such as Kooora and Goal.
The platform first partnered with Bundesliga International in 2023.
The Bundesliga currently contains several high-profile players from the Middle East and Africa, including Bayer Leverkusen’s Amine Adli, Victor Boniface, Nathan Tella and Edmond Tapsoba, and Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush (although the Egyptian striker is likely to join England's Manchester City this month).
Peer Naubert, Bundesliga International chief marketing officer, said: “Since 2018 and the introduction of the Bundesliga International’s localized marketing strategy, our focus has been on working with the highest quality partners in order to let them tell the most relevant and engaging stories to their audiences.
“Content partners are a key element of that strategy, and our extended partnership with Footballco is the perfect example of this.”
Footballco’s head of global football partnerships, Ben Honeyman, added: “As the biggest producer of Arabic language football content in the world, we’re looking forward to continuing our partnership with the Bundesliga and bringing fans the best stories and multi-media content from one of the most exciting leagues in the world.”
Footballco will also work alongside the Bundesliga’s broadcast partners in the Middle East and African markets, including BeIN Sports and its streaming partner TOD in the Middle East, as well as Azam TV, Canal Plus, New World Television, SABC, StarTimes, and ZAP Media across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Bundesliga has more than 20 content partners in strategic growth markets, such as digital media platforms Minute Media in North America and Khel Now in India.
Mid-December saw the league team up with OneFootball, the soccer video and editorial site, to launch a dedicated international OTT platform in select territories. Following the service’s debut in India in August – offering exclusive live coverage of all second-tier Bundesliga 2 matches – the Bundesliga Pass OTT service will now be rolled out to Vietnam and South Africa.
Meanwhile, the DFL has agreed a new sponsorship deal with Intersnack Deutschland, the German savory snacks company.
Through the agreement, the firm’s snack brand, funny-frisch, is now an official partner of the Bundesliga and second-tier Bundesliga 2.
Intersnack Deutschland will have use of various rights for activating advertising and communications measures on TV, point of sale, and digital.
This includes using logos and trophies on funny-frisch products as well as access to the Bundesliga database for use of moving image content for relevant funny-frisch activities and campaigns.
