Suche
Mein Konto
Bundesliga starts streaming revolution: 100,000 subscriptions at kick-off!
The Bundesliga is planning its own streaming platform in 2025 to address fans directly and clarify financing issues.
Bundesliga starts streaming revolution: 100,000 subscriptions at kick-off!
On June 4, 2025, the Bundesliga faces significant changes that could affect both the structure and marketing of football in Austria. As the Small newspaper reports, the league is planning to launch its own streaming platform. This is due to be implemented in the next 14 months and aims to communicate directly with football fans.
The business plan will be presented to the clubs in June. However, the funding of the platform remains uncertain as a strong financial partner is needed to make the project a reality. Discussions about possible financial support are ongoing, but specific amounts are not yet known. It should be noted that the current offers from large providers such as Sky are far below the expected around 40 million euros per year.
Analysis of target groups
The Bundesliga initially wants to concentrate on the “heavy users”, i.e. the classic football fans. An ambitious goal is to gain 100,000 subscribers when the platform launches. Last season, spectator numbers showed a positive trend: stadium attendance rose to an average of 8,792 fans, the highest figure since 2009.
The trends in the TV cycle up to 2026 are particularly interesting, in which the minutes played by Austrian players have increased slightly. The proportion rose from 55% to 56%. Of the twelve Bundesliga teams, eight met the criteria in the final round, which indicates a positive development. In addition, the existing contract with those responsible for refereeing will be extended by two years.
Innovations in transmission law from 2025/26
In parallel with the developments in the streaming area, the media rights for the 2025/26 to 2028/29 seasons were reassigned. Starting this season, football fans will expect some changes to broadcasts. Kicker gives specific details about the broadcasts on pay TV and free TV.
| Broadcasts on pay TV | Broadcasts on free TV |
|---|---|
| Sky:Friday evening game, all individual games on Saturday afternoon, top game on Saturday evening (almost 80% of the games) | Sat.1:Nine games per season, including the DFL Supercup |
| DAZN:Sunday games, including the Bundesliga conference on Saturday afternoon | RTL:Top game of the 2nd Bundesliga |
In terms of reporting, ARD remains responsible for the summaries of the Bundesliga games, while ZDF presents highlights in the “Current Sports Studio”. RTL secures rights to pay TV highlight clips, which will be available immediately after the end of the game.
Developments in the Bundesliga are promising, but they come with challenges. In an international comparison, the league lags behind other top European leagues in terms of revenue abroad. The chairman of the German Football League (DFL) must therefore develop creative financing strategies in order to be able to implement its own streaming platform and achieve closer fan loyalty Deutschlandfunk reported.