For weeks, German professional football was disputed about the distribution of TV money. According to a unanimous decision by the Presidium of German Football League, it is now clear: the new distribution key is very oriented towards the old.
It is off the table that traditional clubs such as Schalke 04 or Hamburger SV will be involved in media revenue due to their many fans. On Monday (January 27, 2025), the DFL announced in a message that factors such as the TV range and the number of club members will be taken into account in the distribution of media revenue in the future.
But these factors continue to belong to the area “Interest”. And according to the new as well as the old distribution key, it only makes three percent of the total revenue.
1.121 billion euros from the TV marketing
The current distribution key has “Also proven in an international comparison”it says in the message. “He sets incentives for sporting performance and growth – and at the same time follows the principle of solidarity together in a league association of 36 clubs.” On this basis, Borussia Dortmund’s managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke as spokesman for the DFL Presidium spoke of one “Good further development of the proven key”.
From the summer of 2025, the 36 first and second division clubs will receive 1.121 billion euros from TV marketing a year. The media revenues are currently being distributed over four pillars: equal distribution (50 percent), performance (43 percent), young talent (4 percent) and interest (3 percent) – in a ratio of 80:20 between the Bundesliga and the 2nd league. This ratio remains untouched.