DFL hires Relevent to sell Bundesliga media rights in USA
The German Football League, abbreviated in German as the DFL, has signed a deal with American media agency Relevent. This agreement will help the Bundesliga sell the media rights of its soccer competitions to audiences on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. In other words, the deal between Relevent and the DFL will help build the Bundesliga’s audience with marketing and sales activities in North, Central, and South America.
The main portion of this is ensuring the Bundesliga signs a new media rights deal with a US broadcaster. Currently, ESPN has the rights to the Bundesliga, an entity it has held since the 2020/21 season. However, those rights expire after the 2025/26 season. It is customary for leagues to find broadcast partners with room to spare to ensure they maximize their value. With the start of the 2024/25 season now behind us, we are in the penultimate year of ESPN’s deal with the Bundesliga.
That is where Relevent steps in. The American media agency has become the premier partner for European leagues in finding broadcast partners in the United States. For example, Relevent acquired the media rights to LaLiga in a 20-year deal to broker deals with American media partners. Relevent is also responsible for broadcast deals in the United States for the UEFA Champions League and the English Football League, an entity it only acquired early in 2024.
ESPN has stated it wants to be a part of the Bundesliga rights going forward. That at least gives Relevent a foot in the door for the next rights deal for the German top-flight division.
Relevent providing success for leagues, and DFL and Bundesliga want in
Stephen Ross, the owner of Relevent, led his company to be part of major deals. The DFL will look at the success of LaLiga, the Champions League and the EFL as points of emphasis for Relevent. LaLiga’s deal with ESPN is eight years, and it is worth $1.4 billion. Relevent scored the UEFA Champions League a record deal from CBS worth $1.5 billion over six years. Finally, Relevent agreed to a deal with the EFL for a guaranteed sum of $56 million per year for the rights in the Americas. Subsequently, CBS Sports got the US rights in an agreement with Relevent.
In total, the DFL has signed a 17-year deal with Relevent Sports to grow Bundesliga across the Americas. Relevent will handle content, marketing, PR, and media rights, with a focus on securing a new U.S. deal for the 2026-27 season.
The Bundesliga is a natural fit for an American audience. Historically, the Bundesliga has been a place where American players have prospered, particularly in their development. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams developed greatly in the Bundesliga. Currently, the league is home to players like Gio Reyna, Paxten Aaronson and Jordan Pefok.
With a noted history of Americans in the Bundesliga, the DFL will hope Relevent can garner strong audiences for its next media rights deals in North America. Timing is ideal for a new media rights deal, too. Soccer continues to grow and be at the forefront of American minds. Most recently, the Copa America was in the United States. Plus, Bundesliga teams have made frequent trips to the United States to grow their American audiences. In the summer of 2024, that included RB Leipzig playing MLS teams.
Relevent will also help the Bundesliga identify areas to focus on growing audiences. Locating stories based on athletes and teams can help the Bundesliga establish itself in the United States. One of those could be the diversity of success. Bayern Munich is regularly the best team. Yet, in 2023/24, Bayer Leverkusen became the first team to go undefeated for an entire campaign. Likewise, Borussia Dortmund reached the UEFA Champions League Final.
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