The German Football League (DFL) has further reduced the number of applicants when selecting a possible investor. Of the initially five candidates and three left in December, two are now still in the running. As the DFL announced on Wednesday (January 17, 2024), these are Blackstone and CVC.
There will be further negotiations with the two possible marketing partners “in the coming weeks”. The vote for Blackstone and CVC was unanimous. The new confirmatory offers from interested parties are “both economically and in terms of content within the key points decided by the DFL general meeting on December 11, 2023“, explained the league association.
Revenue is intended to strengthen infrastructure
A financial investor is expected to pay one billion euros for a percentage share of the TV revenue. The contract should have a maximum term of 20 years and be signed by the start of the 2024/25 season. The process will run until the end of March, as the DFL explained after the general meeting shortly before Christmas. The league wants to use the money primarily to expand its infrastructure. This includes further digitization and internationalization as well as the development of our own streaming platform.
There is still strong criticism of the decision from the camp of the organized fan scenes. The supporters also protested with banners in many stadiums on the first match day after the winter break against the planned investor entry.