Excitement in the Bundesliga. In a complete surprise, the German Football League has stopped the awarding of TV rights. The reason for this is a scandal involving the streaming provider DAZN.
Is the Bundesliga facing the next TV spat? Yesterday, Wednesday, the German Football League cancelled the tender for the Bundesliga TV rights for the period 2025 to 2029. The reason for this is the streaming service provider DAZN. Accordingly, DAZN sent an incendiary letter to the two DFL managing directors Marc Lenz and Steffen Merkel and levelled serious accusations. The letter was also sent to all 36 clubs in the two Bundesliga leagues and was signed by DAZN CEO Shay Segev.
DAZN feels unfairly treated
The accusation is that the DFL rejected DAZN’s offer for the most attractive rights package B, which includes the individual Bundesliga matches on Friday evening and Saturday at 3.30 pm, on flimsy grounds in order to favour another provider. DAZN feels unfairly treated in the battle for TV rights with rival Sky.
The DFL, on the other hand, justifies its decision with a lack of bank guarantee from the streaming provider. DAZN vehemently denies this in its letter: „In the tender documents provided by us on 11 April 2024, we stated that, in view of the costs etc., we would not do this in the form of a bank guarantee, but would issue a hard letter of comfort (as we had done in the previous tender),“ DAZN is quoted as saying by t-online.
According to DAZN, this approach was accepted. However, in the middle of the tendering process, a bank guarantee was suddenly demanded within 24 hours, which DAZN describes as „an impossible task“. DAZN has reportedly called in the Cartel Office.
„The insinuations and accusations made are inaccurate“
DFL Managing Directors Lenz and Merkel have since responded to the DAZN letter: „The insinuations and accusations made in this letter are inaccurate and unfounded and we reject them in the strongest possible terms. The letter from DAZN Group Limited also contains a number of incorrect statements and misrepresentations of facts.“
In order to protect the legal and procedural certainty of the proceedings, the DFL Executive Committee and the DFL management have decided to „suspend the proceedings for the time being“, the league association explained.
It remains to be seen when and how the tendering process will continue.
