The DFL, the German soccer league, has today announced a significant long-term strategic partnership with Relevent Sports, the global sports and media rights company, to expand its commercial activities in the Americas region.
Through a multi-faceted agreement, understood to be for 17 years, the two parties will begin by building out a Bundesliga Americas team featuring experts for content, marketing, PR and sales who focus exclusively on the top-flight Bundesliga and second-tier Bundesliga 2.
With branches in New York City and Guadalajara (Mexico) and a significant expansion of the existing staff, the Bundesliga Americas team will boast “greater proximity to local markets and media companies and produce cross-media content that appeals to fans in the 35 countries across North, Central and South America by tailoring material to the interests and trends of the region.”
A key aspect of the partnership will see Relevent market the media rights to Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 matches across the Americas from the start of the 2026-27 season, which will run over several rights cycles. This will be based on a mutually agreed strategy and joint sales approach.
Most notably, the league’s rights in the US will be up for renewal as its six-year deal with major US sports network ESPN expires at the end of the 2025-26 campaign. However, both parties have already signaled their intention to prolong the relationship beyond next season.
Having opened an office in New York in 2018, the Bundesliga opted to carve out its US media rights to maximize the value in what it regards as a key market.
After replacing Fox at the start of the 2020-21 season, ESPN has since been able to offer the scale and technological innovation the Bundesliga was seeking, particularly since the launch of ESPN+ in April 2018.
The broadcaster shows more than 300 games per season live and on-demand across its platforms in both English and Spanish.
ESPN’s relationship with the DFL also stretches to other territories in the Americas as it shows the Bundesliga in all South American countries except Brazil, where the league has adopted a unique multi-platform broadcast strategy.
This season, the German top-flight is being shown in the country by TV Cultura and RedeTV free-to-air (FTA), by Sportv on pay TV, and the Cazé TV, Goat, and OneFootball streaming services.
Relevent’s remit will include the sale of rights in Brazil.
Additionally, Relevent will support the Bundesliga’s media and sponsorship sales beginning with the 2024-2025 season through “a localized approach involving creating tailor-made content for the various target markets.”
As part of the joint strategy, the DFL has the authority to decide on the direction, as well as the final selection of media partners and regional commercial sponsors.
Support from Relevent in the organization and marketing of club trips to America is also included in the partnership agreement.
Before being finalized, the tie-up was ratified by the supervisory board of Bundesliga International, the DFL subsidiary responsible for international marketing, and the DFL Executive Committee. The key figures of the partnership were also presented to all 36 professional clubs at a DFL Members Assembly.
Peer Naubert, chief marketing officer of Bundesliga International, said: “The talks with Relevent Sports were characterized by great trust and a passion for German football, as well as a clear vision for the increased presence of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 on the American continents.
“Given the trajectory of football in general and the Bundesliga in particular, we believe there’s still a lot of untapped potential in the region. With this strategic deal, we want to leverage commercial growth and take the Bundesliga brand to the next level.
“The office opening in 2018 was the cornerstone - now we want to write the mid and long-term success stories for the Bundesliga in the Americas.”
The agreement represents Relevent’s second major tie-up with a top European league after agreeing a long-term partnership with Spain’s LaLiga.
The league teamed up with Relevent in 2018 to launch the LaLiga North America joint venture in the region in a 15-year agreement. Based in New York, the arm is headed up by Gartner.
In recent years, New York City-based Relevent has helped LaLiga secure two of its biggest international broadcast deals in the US and Mexico, respectively.
In 2021, LaLiga agreed an eight-year renewal with long-time rights partner and pay-TV broadcaster Sky Mexico worth a total of around €500 million ($420.3 million).
That agreement came into effect at the start of this season and doubled the annual figure the league was receiving from its previous rights deal with Sky Mexico from €30 million to €60 million.
ESPN also landed an eight-year deal in the US worth $1.4 billion, or $175 million per annum, making it the Spanish top-tier’s most lucrative international rights partner.
Relevent has built internationalization strategies for several other major entities in global soccer, including UEFA, the Premier League, and the English Football League.
The firm was awarded a contract in 2022 to sell commercial rights for UEFA’s club competitions for the 2024-2027 cycle in the US after the continental governing body carved out these rights.
Boris Gartner, Relevent president, added: “This partnership marks a significant step forward in Relevent’s mission to bring the best of international football to audiences in the Americas and help grow the sport.
“The long-term nature of this collaboration will allow us to expand the Bundesliga’s presence in the region by leveraging our expertise and networks. We’re eager to create new touchpoints for fans and partners to experience and engage with one of the world’s most historic and celebrated leagues, featuring some of the sport’s most devoted and vibrant supporter bases globally.”
The Bundesliga has a long history with the Americas, having seen more players from the US play in Germany than any other European top league.
Current Bundesliga players from the region include Canada’s Alphonso Davies (FC Bayern), USA’s Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund) and Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg), and Ecuador’s Piero Hincapie (Bayer Leverkusen).
