ESPN International Acquires a Package of German Bundesliga Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean

Three-year Agreement Includes Multimedia Rights for the 2015/16 to 2017/18 Seasons
ESPN International has reached a broad multimedia rights agreement with FOX Sports Latin America to continue broadcasting the German Football League’s Bundesliga throughout Latin America and select countries and territories across the Caribbean, effective 2015/16 through 2017/18.
Under the agreement, FOX Sports will provide ESPN with exclusive rights to half of the Bundesliga matches per season, some Relegation matches played at the end of each season, and non-exclusive rights to the German Super Cup in 2016 and 2017. Additionally, ESPN will have non-exclusive rights to a weekly preview show known as Bundesliga Weekly, a weekly re-cap highlights show, and numerous other specials produced each season by DFL.
The Bundesliga and their commercial arm, DFL Sports Enterprises who approved this sub-license, are thrilled to continue their relationship with ESPN in Latin America and the Caribbean, and view the combination of FOX and ESPN’s coverage as the ideal formula to provide the league the most comprehensive exposure throughout the region.
“The Bundesliga is a fantastic league that features some of the highest quality and most attractive football in Europe and we’re very pleased to continue bringing it to our fans for another three seasons,” said Tim Bunnell, senior vice president of production, programming, marketing and advertising sales, ESPN International. “Latin America football fans are among the most engaged and knowledgeable about the game. They appreciate top quality play, players and clubs, and keeping the Bundesliga as a key part of our schedule alongside other top football and a range of other sport serves those fans well.”
ESPN’s coverage of the Bundesliga will air across a variety of multimedia platforms, including ESPN’s television networks ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN+, and ESPNHD. ESPN Play, ESPN’s broadband network, will also offer extensive coverage throughout the tournaments. Additionally, rights will extend across the brand’s regional digital platforms including ESPN.com, ESPNFC.com, the ESPN FC app, and ESPN mobile Web.
The Bundesliga season begins the weekend of August 14-16. Over coming seasons, football fans will be able to see some of Europe’s top clubs, including last and this season’s Bundesliga champions FC Bayern München. The league also boasts the highest average attendance of any European football league, which ensures a dynamic atmosphere all season. Each week, fans at the matches and ESPN viewers in Latin America will also see some of the world’s most exciting players in action in the Bundesliga including: Franco DiSanto (Argentine, Werder Bremen), Raul Bobadilla (Argentine, Augsburg), Adrián Ramos (Colombia, Borussia Dortmund), Claudio Pizzaro (Peruvian), Spaniards Xabi Alonso, Thiago Alcantara and Javi Martinez (all FC Bayern München), and global stars like Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Franck Ribery (France), Robert Lewandowski (Poland) and German stars Marco Reus, Thomas Müller, Manuel Neuer, Mario Götze, and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
ESPN is the home of all the top European soccer events and other premier soccer championships, across Latin America and the Caribbean. The UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup are part of ESPN’s unmatched roster of live soccer programming available in the region that includes: English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, French Ligue 1, Portuguese Primeira Liga, Dutch Eredivisie, English FA Cup & Football League Cup, Spanish Copa del Rey, Mexican Liga MX & Copa MX, and Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, among others.