RTL and SBS have to deal with an incredibly hard blow. After many years, the channels lose the Champions League and the Europa League football. “It will certainly go to Ziggo 99.9 percent.”
The market shares of RTL 7 and SBS 6 are now getting a big push of all the European football out there, but that won’t be long. In a year and a half, all football will move to another party and it seems that it is about Ziggo Sport. They have been sitting there empty-handed since the departure of Formula 1.
Lost football rights
Sports marketer Chris Woerts, who is conducting the negotiations on behalf of Talpa, announced the news yesterday evening in Today Inside. “We are losing our football rights. We’ve known since 9:30 yesterday morning. Then we got a call from UEFA.”
He continues: “We had to make the bids last Wednesday and normally they take plenty of time. Usually there will be a second bidding round and then you have to wait a few days again, but now it was already Thursday at 9.30 am.”
‘Bad news’
Chris is quite shocked. “I said, ‘Guys, come on, can we uncork the champagne or is there bad news?’ He says, “John, bad news.” He says: ‘You don’t have it, RTL doesn’t have it either, neither does ESPN.’ So then we started calculating. I thought: kolere, what is happening now?”
He continues: “That means someone has made an offer on everything. So both Champions League and Europa League and Conference League. The open net, decoder packages, so the entire Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday football goes to one party. We think so. We do not know.”
Ziggo Sports
René van der Gijp: “What is the chance that it will be Ziggo? 99 percent?”
Chris: “99.9 percent.”
Wilfred Genee: “So they bought everything?”
Chris: “They don’t answer the phone. Then you already know.”
Hélène Hendriks: “It sucks. Yes, I’m sorry to say it like that.”
Chris: “But for Hélène, the door will definitely open at Ziggo. That is not a problem at all.”
25 million euros
How much is football bid, Chris thinks? “I think this is well over 25 million for the whole package. That is serious money.”
Ziggo also has some money lying around, he explains. “They had offered 30 million for Formula 1 and Viaplay then went over that. They have a war chest and they think: we can only make the flight forward once, there is very little premium content available and football is premium content.”
Two quarters
They had to go to Ziggo, according to Chris. “They thought: nobody watches Ziggo Sport anymore, so we have to have an alternative. (…) Everyone is very disappointed. RTL also wanted to extend the rights.”
As a TV provider, Ziggo also has more options than RTL or SBS, which have to earn back with advertising. “take a break you just don’t get it. Usually you lose a bit on football. And the cable companies throw two quarters on the price and then they earn it back.”
He concludes: “I think Ziggo is very good. I have to congratulate them. It’s been a great cut for them and they’ve done well. It is a knockoutbid.”
