In the first big soccer broadcasting move coming off the North American World Cup, Versant has reportedly acquired rights to air Bundesliga games in the U.S.
The top German soccer league, home to European powers Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund and several USMNT stars, will receive $100 million across five years on the new deal, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. Games will be split between USA Network and Fandango, the online platform most known for publishing movie information and selling movie theater tickets.
For the past six years, Bundesliga matches have aired primarily on ESPN+ in the U.S., with a limited number set aside for ESPN linear networks. That deal earned the German league $30 million per year, according to reports from when the deal was signed.
Despite the slight downtick in revenue in moving from ESPN platforms to Versant’s, Bundesliga figures to reach a greater audience with Versant, with USA Network airing at least 30 matches and the rest airing free on Fandango, according to The Athletic and Sports Business Journal.
“The key headline for us is that we are expanding our accessibility in the U.S. while simultaneously delivering strong financial results,” Robin Austermann, an executive at Bundesliga Americas, told SBJ.
For Versant, the deal expands USA Network’s growing live sports portfolio, which includes the WNBA, college sports, and golf, in addition to international soccer with the English Premier League.
The most fascinating element of the partnership, though, is the introduction of Fandango’s advertising-based video on-demand service as a player in live sports programming. The 250-plus Bundesliga matches that USA Network does not air will go to Fandango, moving out from behind the ESPN+ paywall. Media companies and sports leagues are increasingly looking to digital platforms like Fandango as potential live sports broadcasters. Versant told SBJ it has aimed to put live sports onto Fandango since Comcast spun off Versant earlier this year. Comcast originally purchased Fandango in 2007 for $200 million, with plans to turn it into an on-demand video service.
Still, Bundesliga ultimately took about a 33 percent hit on this deal, signaling a challenging market for overseas soccer leagues even amid a record summer for World Cup viewership.
Soon, Premier League rights will hit the market, as NBC Universal’s $450 million-per-year contract for the popular English league expires after the 2027-28 season.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.