The DFL has reached an agreement with Relevant to market the Bundesliga in the Americas. (Photo by … [+] Harry Langer/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL)—the governing body of Germany’s two main football leagues, the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga—has entered a new long-term partnership with Relevant. Through the partnership with the multinational media, sports, and entertainment group, the DFL hopes to significantly expand its reach in North, Central, and South America as well as the Caribbean.
Relevant and the DFL announced that they will expand their Bundesliga Americas team as part of the new partnership. Relevant currently has branches in New York City and Guadalajara. The DFL already has an office in New York City, but with the 2026 World Cup in North America just around the corner, the Bundesliga hopes to significantly increase its footprint in the United States in the coming years.
“The American market is currently in an exciting development phase and offers great potential for the Bundesliga,” DFL CEO Steffen Merkel said in a statement released on DFL.de. “Last summer, the Copa America was held in the USA and the next mega-events in the region are on the horizon, with the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA World Cup 2026. These events will drive even more enthusiasm for football, especially among a younger audience. In this respect, it is exactly the right time for such a partnership with the Relevent Sports Group, which has built up an enormous reputation in recent years and stands for ambition, expertise and growth. Together, we will make great strides forward in the marketing of German professional football.”
As part of the new partnership, Relevant will market the media rights of the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga across the Americas starting with the 2026/27 season. ESPN is currently the television rights holder in the United States for Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga games. That contract, however, is set to expire at the end of the 2026 season, at which point Relevant will be involved in the upcoming television negotiations. Starting immediately, Relevant will support the Bundesliga’s media and sponsorship sales.
“We’re thrilled to be working with the Bundesliga to continue growing German football’s footprint across the Americas,” Relevant CEO Danny Sillman said in a statement released by the company. “We know the football market in the US and the broader region is growing quickly, and we’re excited to launch a ‘Bundesliga Americas’ team to capitalize on that interest with a locally targeted, content-driven approach that helps expand and deepen the league’s fanbase in North, Central, and South America.”
Bundesliga side RB Leipzig was one of two German clubs playing friendlies in the United States this … [+] summer. (Photo by Vincent Carchietta/Getty Images)
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Although Relevant will take the lead in finding strategic partnerships in the Americas, the DFL will retain the authority to decide on the direction and the final selection of media and sponsoring partners in the region. The deal has already been approved by the supervisory board of the DFL subsidiary Bundesliga International, which is responsible for international marketing, and the DFL executive committee.
The agreement with Relevant is a significant milestone for the Bundesliga, especially after the DFL had to axe a potential deal with a foreign investor amidst fan protests. According to a report by Kicker, the DFL earns €216 million ($240 million) from foreign media deals.
“With this strategic deal, we want to leverage commercial growth and take the Bundesliga brand to the next level,” CMO of DFL subsidiary Bundesliga International Peer Naubert said in a statement. “The office opening in 2018 was the cornerstone – now we want to write the mid and long-term success stories for the Bundesliga in the Americas.”
Other than the Premier League, soccer leagues have struggled on the US market, especially since the NBA recently negotiated a new television deal, which took the focus away from other sports. The Italian Serie A, for example, had to reportedly accept a lesser deal to reach an agreement with CBS Sports in the United States.
With the Serie A deal and the failed equity deal in mind, the agreement with Relevant is supposed to ensure continued growth in the United States and fill the financial gap created when the DFL withdrew from talks with a foreign investor. Indeed, some of the money the potential investor deal was going to generate was supposed to be earmarked for foreign club tours.
This summer, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt traveled to the United States. Relevant has significant experience marketing club tours in the United States, in particular, working together closely with the Premier League. The Bundesliga hopes to benefit from that experience as well and going forward has mapped out a strategy that will see a greater presence of German club teams in the Americas.
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Publish date : 2024-09-19 05:24:00
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