International streaming service DAZN has agreed an extension to its one-match Bundesliga broadcast rights deal with the German Football League (DFL) in Germany and Switzerland, covering the remainder of the season.
The deal covers nine live matches from the top-tier Bundesliga and four relegation matches between Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. The derby tomorrow (Friday) between Hertha BSC and 1 FC Union Berlin will be the first match of the extended agreement.
DAZN signed a one-match deal last week to cover the match between Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen on May 18.
The streaming platform has been broadcasting Bundesliga matches throughout the 2019-20 season through a sublicensing deal it agreed with international media group Discovery for rights to 45 matches per season, which covered the 2019-20 and 2020-21 season.
Discovery initially acquired the package from the DFL, in a four-season deal from 2017-18 to 2020-21. Discovery is seeking to terminate its media-rights contract with the league, therefore DAZN has had to agree a direct deal with the DFL.
DAZN’s new DFL deal is for non-exclusive rights. Online retail giant Amazon also acquired rights to the Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen match in Germany and Austria, and it is thought that it is in negotiations to continue this till the end of the season.
Subscribers to Amazon Prime previously had access to Bundesliga matches, as Discovery had a distribution agreement with the online retailer that gave its customers access to its Eurosport content. This agreement continued despite Discovery’s sublicensing deal with DAZN.