Competition “intensifies”
© Imago
The Bundesliga clubs do not receive the hoped-for revenue increase from foreign marketing. The profits from international business stagnate. According to information from the “dpa”, the league generates around 218 million euros from the TV contracts for the “dpa” for the 2025/2026 season-as much as in the past season.
The last TV contracts had been concluded shortly before the start of the new season, including in Great Britain and in Japan. All income from international business including commercial rights such as sponsorship amounts to almost 302 million euros for the current season. The German Football League (DFL) currently does not want to comment on the subject. Managing Director Steffen Merkel recently said at a media appointment: “In many international markets, the competition is tightening what media rights are considered mandatory, and in some of these markets we are more in a role of the challenger.”
The Bundesliga clubs want more money from international business. A few weeks ago, BVB Managing Director Carsten Cramer said the “dpa”: “This is definitely a growth topic in which we have air as a Bundesliga.” In the meantime, the income from foreign marketing was around 275 million euros before there was a break-in of around 100 million euros during the Corona pandemic. Since then, the DFL has recorded increases until the past season.
The “growth course”, which Merkel had recently stated, is at least over for the time being. In the case of national TV revenues, the contracts that have been valid since this season have an increase of around two percent to 1.1 billion euros per season. In international comparison, the Bundesliga is in third place in foreign business. The English Premier League is widely rushed and almost collects ten times. The Spanish Laliga takes about three times.