The German Football League (DFL) will introduce new game windows on Monday evenings and Sunday afternoons for the Bundesliga’s next domestic broadcast rights tender, according to multiple media reports.
The Sponsors.de website, along with the DPA and SID news agencies, said a tender proposal is currently with the Federal Cartel Office, Bundeskartellamt, for its approval before the process can begin.
Under the proposal, around 158 of 306 games per season in the top division of German football will continue to be held on Saturday at 3.30pm, from the 2017-18 season. However, the new tender document will reportedly include five games on Monday at 8.15pm, as well as an additional five Sunday games at 1.30pm.
The new kick-off times are reportedly designed to help German teams competing in the Uefa Europa League competition on Thursday evenings.
In April 2012, Sky Deutschland held off competition from telecommunications firm Deutsche Telekom to acquire the key pay-television and mobile rights packages to the Bundesliga for the period 2013-14 to 2016-17.
Sky acquired all live pay-television rights packages, including the IPTV rights which Telekom held in the previous cycle. Sky also acquired the mobile rights which Telekom had held.
An auction for the four seasons of the Bundesliga spanning 2017-18 to 2020-21 is expected by the middle of 2016.