NEW WAY FORWARD – BUNDESLIGA INTERNATIONAL, ONEFOOTBALL u0026 SPORTFIVE ENABLE INNOVATIVE BROADCASTING OF BUNDESLIGA IN BRAZIL
Digital-first and freely available: Today, Bundesliga International, a subsidiary of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, digital media company OneFootball and SPORTFIVE collectively launch an innovative broadcasting model for all Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 matches in Brazil.
Beginning with the upcoming 2020-21 season, which kicks off on September 18th, all Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 games will be broadcasted for free in Brazil exclusively via OneFootball – for the next three seasons, up to and including the 2022-23 season. In addition, OneFootball will also broadcast the German Supercup, which this year features FC Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund, as well as the all-important promotion/relegation matches at the end of each season.
After future-driven discussions on how best to engage the Brazilian audience, SPORTFIVE, as a global sports business agency and comprehensive rights partner of Bundesliga International, created the overall framework for this distribution partnership. Furthermore, SPORTFIVE and OneFootball jointly oversee the marketing of all advertising inventory.
In addition to this agreement, Bundesliga International retains the option to make one match available to a linear broadcaster in Brazil each matchday.
With this forward-thinking approach, and OneFootball’s significant reach in Brazil, all stakeholders gain access to the immense South-American market of football enthusiasts and accelerate further global expansion and reach of the premium products Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2.
Robert Klein, CEO of Bundesliga International, says: “The Bundesliga has long been associated with driving innovation in football and this agreement with OneFootball, in collaboration with SPORTFIVE reiterates our commitment to utilizing technology for the good of fans globally. There is a rich history which ties together German and Brazilian football and, through this partnership, we can ensure that Bundesliga remains an important part of the footballing culture. With the OneFootball app, the Bundesliga is freely available and with highly entertaining football, world class players and more goals per match than any other major European league, this partnership is another step we are taking to reach more fans throughout Brazil.”
Lucas von Cranach, CEO and founder of OneFootball, explains: “We continue to democratize football. Bringing freely available matches from one of the biggest leagues in the world to Brazil, where football is the most popular sport, is really exciting for us. By energizing the traditional sports media landscape and bringing the action directly to Brazilian fans, for free and easily available at their fingertips, we’re another step closer to becoming the ultimate football destination for a new generation.”
Nikolaus von Doetinchem, President Media at SPORTFIVE, adds: “Within this ever-changing media landscape and evolving content consumption behaviors, we are proud of this contemporary and innovative broadcasting model. Our hereby implemented “digital-first approach” in the end leads to extensive value for all involved stakeholders and creates an enormous platform, suited for the attractiveness, power and international reach of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2.”
ABOUT BUNDESLIGA INTERNATIONAL
Bundesliga International is a full subsidiary of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga and responsible for connecting and inspiring football fans around the globe. Its main focus is to drive internationalisation by driving passion for the Bundesliga with contagious content using the highest technical innovation standards. Bundesliga International is marketing the audiovisual, sponsorship (partnership) rights, brand and digital licenses through a global network of 80 partners.
ABOUT THE BUNDESLIGA
The Bundesliga is the premier professional association football league in Germany and the football league with the highest average stadium attendance worldwide. The league was established in 1963 and comprises 18 teams which operate on a system of promotion and relegation with the Bundesliga 2.
ABOUT ONEFOOTBALL
OneFootball’s goal is to fuel the world’s football obsession. Reaching more than 70 million football fans worldwide every month, across its platform and social media channels, OneFootball is the most popular football media platform for the new generation of football fans. It is the only app with a fully personalised home stream for non-stop news of your favourite club and the only company to offer single live football matches in-app on a free and pay-per-view basis. In the spirit that football is more than just 90 minutes, OneFootball operates a 24-hour newsroom to provide fans across the world with the comprehensive football content they crave – from statistics and live scores of 200+ leagues and competitions worldwide to breaking news, highlight clips, live streaming, transfer rumours and features. Native integration from OneFootball’s network of over 200 independent content creators, clubs, federations, players and broadcasters adds an additional 13,000+ pieces of content per week. OneFootball is available in 12 languages and is the best rated sports app in the world, based on millions of App Store and Google Play reviews. Founded twelve years ago, the company has 220 employees at its headquarters in Berlin and regional offices in London, New York, Mexico City and São Paulo
ABOUT SPORTFIVE
SPORTFIVE utilizes the unique emotional power of sports to create and enable pioneering partnerships in sports. By delivering responsible commercialization, full-service-solutions and long-term value for all stakeholders in sports, SPORTFIVE strategically and creatively connects brands, rightsholders, media platforms and fans by leveraging a global network paired with decades of experience and innovative spirit. As market leader and with customer centricity and vast data intelligence at its core, SPORTFIVE often leads the sports business into the future through its innovative digital solutions and thereby always aims to be the most progressive and respected partner in sports. SPORTFIVE operates as an international sports business and marketing agency with a global mindset and network of over 1,200 local experts based in 15 countries around the world, active in football, golf, esports, motorsport, handball, tennis, American football and many more. For more information please visit SPORTFIVE’s website, content hub and social profiles.
