The next cycle of domestic rights for the Bundesliga, the top division of German football will not include a shortened Saturday nights highlights programme, according to reports in the country.
It had previously been suggested that the format of the 90-minute highlights programme – which has carried the name Sportschau on public-service broadcaster ARD for 55 years – could be halved to run from 6.30pm to 7.15pm, rather than running in its traditional slot from 6.30pm to 8pm.
However, ARD sports coordinator Axel Balkausky told the Kicker magazine that a shortened Sportschau was “not a conceivable model”. Balkausky said that ARD would await an invitation to bid for the rights again.
Reports have added that media company RTL and pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport could also be interested in free-to-air Bundesliga rights.
The tender for the next cycle of Bundesliga rights is expected to be launched in the coming weeks, with all of the rights set to be allocated by the start of June at the latest.