Sports and entertainment agency Infront has struck a four-year media rights tie-up with the Bundesliga International subsidiary of German soccer’s top tier, across 10 European markets.
This follows on from Infront agreeing a major multi-year tie-up - unveiled last week - with the LFP, the French league’s organizing body.
The Infront-Bundesligta International deal will entail the agency managing the media rights portfolio of both the top-tier Bundesliga and second-tier 2.Bundesliga across a range of European territories, from the start of 2025-26 through 2028-29. These markets include Albania, Czech Republic, Estonia, Kosovo, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovakia.
Russia is also on the list, with no legal restrictions currently on the selling of media rights in that country - the German league has also said that (as is currently the case) proceeds from media rights sales there will be donated to fund humanitarian aid. Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, and the ensuing war has raged for the last two years.
The package includes all 617 matches from the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga, as well as the annual German Supercup and the relegation playoff games between top and second-tier sides.
Infront already has tie-ups covering the marketing rights of Bundesliga sides including FC Koln (relegated earlier this month), Werder Bremen, and Mainz.
Current Bundesliga broadcasters in the aforementioned European markets include Digi Sport in Romania, DigitAlb in Albania and Kosovo, Nova Sport in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Viaplay in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (although that trio will be served by Setanta Sports next season).
Bundesliga players from these markets, meanwhile, include the Czech Republic's Patrik Schick and Matěj Kovář, both playing for champions Bayer Leverkusen.
Andreas Kaeshammer, Infront’s head of football, has said: “This new partnership approach allows us to combine forces to ensure the best result for all stakeholders, leveraging our experience of maximizing value for premium football properties. Our joint ambition is to further increase the Bundesliga’s reach and grant fans even broader access to both leagues.”
The aforementioned LFP deal will see Infront exclusively manage the international media rights to France’s top-tier Ligue 1 and second-tier Ligue 2 competitions in several global markets across Europe, Asia, and Oceania.
Infront will also handle the league’s match production and feed distribution in the relevant territories while also helping to create content around the competitions to grow its reach.
Meanwhile, the agency’s technology and innovation arm (Infront Labs) will also work with the LFP to grow its fan engagement and media offerings through the development and use of new technologies around the league.
Infront is also working alongside Italy’s Serie A in 36 markets across the Asia-Pacific region as that league works to complete its broadcast partner portfolio for 2024-25 onwards.
Peer Naubert, chief marketing officer at Bundesliga International, added: “With its history in delivering results in global media rights distribution for premium sports properties, we believe Infront to be the perfect partner in achieving our aims and we look forward to seeing a successful distribution of Bundesliga action in these territories and more.”
In terms of the most recent Bundesliga media rights deal, in mid-February Setanta renewed rights in 10 Eurasian markets as well as tying up rights in the three aforementioned Baltic territories.
The league is currently encountering significant difficulties in terms of selling its next set of domestic media rights, with DAZN having threatened legal action against the DFL German soccer body late last month.
Essentiallly, the OTT platform, one of the league’s two incumbent domestic rightsholders, (alongside Sky Deutschland), missed out on the main package of rights to the top-flight Bundesliga but has since claimed the DFL acted unlawfully in not accepting its bid in the tender.
In the meantime, the tender process for domestic rights - launched in mid-April - was suspended soon after going live.
