Germany
Features
DFL seeks to accelerate Virtual Bundesliga’s growth with ESL partnership
The DFL has entered into a partnership with esports giant ESL, with the long-term aim of making its Virtual Bundesliga a comparable prospect to its traditional football competitions. Adam Nelson speaks with the DFL's Andreas Heyden and ESL's Ralf Reichert.
Der Klassiker provides springboard for Bundesliga’s global marketing efforts
The Bundesliga is locked in a battle with other major European leagues for the hearts, minds, and eyeballs of fans around the world. Kevin Roberts examines some of the league's marketing efforts alongside the Der Klassiker match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
ESL’s latest deals show that esports and traditional media can work in harmony
The influence of traditional sports executives is growing at esports rights-holders, leading to deeper partnerships with legacy media companies. Callum McCarthy reports.
Bayern’s ‘lighthouse’ Super Cup spectator study gives hope to Bundesliga
The company behind a pilot study that tested 315 Bayern Munich fans for Covid-19 ahead of last month's Uefa Super Cup match believes it is possible to create rapid and safe testing programmes that will allow more spectators to attend live sports events. Ben Cronin reports.
Organised, timely and efficient: German football shows the way out of lockdown
There have been positive tests, protocol breaches and postponements, but nothing has been able to derail the project.
Borussia Dortmund expands US reach with BetMGM partnership
Bundesliga giant Borussia Dortmund is looking to expand its reach in North America by securing an exclusive regional marketing partnership with gaming operator BetMGM
Time runs out on Fifa’s investigation into Beckenbauer bribery case
Fifa has announced that it has dropped its internal investigation into the alleged bribery case involving German World Cup winning captain Franz Beckenbauer as the statute of limitations has expired
Extreme E tops up German distribution with Sky highlights deal
Extreme E, the nascent electric off-road racing series, has added to its distribution in German-speaking countries in a highlights agreement with pay-television broadcaster Sky Deutschland
Schalke’s Umbro deal to end early after ‘expectations not met’
Bundesliga club FC Schalke 04’s kit supply contract with UK-based sportswear firm Umbro is set to be curtailed at the end of the 2021-22 season.
DFL wants Virtual Bundesliga to be seen as its third competition brand
The Bundesliga's esports property is seen as a valuable tool with which to engage a younger fanbase and expand the reach of the league and its commercial partners. Story by Bob Williams.
Bayern Munich at crossroads as club prepares for life without Hoeness and Rummenigge
As Bayern Munich have all but elected a new club president, Bob Williams takes a look at how the club's executive board is set to change in the coming seasons.
Kevin Sim – The Bundesliga’s navigator for the Asia-Pac media-rights market
The Bundesliga’s head of APAC Kevin Sim is deep in talks with potential media-rights partners for the cycle from 2020-21. Kevin McCullagh talks to him about his expectations for the market.
Dynamic approach driving Bundesliga internationally
In association with the Bundesliga
“It’s a playground for us” | How SAP’s sponsorship of the WTA is driving innovation in technology and sport
Adam Nelson takes a closer look at how, through its sponsorship of the Women's Tennis Association, SAP's technology aims to analyse in-match performance.
Vodafone and Bundesliga bridge gap between stadium and living room with 5G first
Vodafone and the Bundesliga launched a world-first use of a 5G mobile network in Wolfsburg’s Volkswagen Arena on Monday night. Adam Nelson reports on how the technology can bring second-screen engagement to the match day experience.
LED advertising | Why it took just one second to damage Infront’s reputation
With a former Infront executive under investigation for defrauding sponsors of the German Football Association, Frank Dunne explains how the scandal has affected both the agency and the already-embattled DFB, and how brands can ensure they're getting what they pay for from their partnerships.
Can new Bundesliga domestic and international deals prove 50+1 isn’t holding it back?
German football has earned praise for its blend of ideological purity and commercial nous, but calls to reform restrictions on private ownership and investment are growing. With the Bundesliga’s media rights coming to market, Callum McCarthy explores how the league’s commercial performance over the next 18 months could shape its long-term future.
Roma and the Bundesliga bring the banter to win fans and engage people on social media
As clubs and rights-holders from across football continue to adopt more human and humorous voices on social media, representatives from AS Roma and the Bundesliga explain the commercial benefits that underpin the strategy.
Going global | Bundesliga furthers international push with NYC office
Bundesliga International chief executive Robert Klein tells SportBusiness International how its new US department will help build its relationship with Fox Sports and why Bayern Munich made the league's entrance easier in the States.
Non-conformist brands | Part one: FC St. Pauli
What defines the strongest team identities in sport and is there a science to creating a compelling brand? In the first of a three-part series, Frank Dunne takes a look at German football club St. Pauli.
Case study | The Bundesliga’s digital and social media strategy
How the Bundesliga is putting quality above quantity in its digital and social media strategy.
REPORT | The Future of Olympic Games Media Consumption – Executive Summary
A free report, commissioned from SportBusiness by the Budapest 2024 Olympic Games bid, surveying attitudes to, and media consumption habits around, the Olympic Games.
Video | What are the biggest opportunities and threats in sport?
Stephen Cannon from the Atlanta Falcons and Scott O'Neil, CEO of the Philadelphia 76ers, were amongst the speakers when SportBusiness asked the questions at the Leaders Sport Business Summit.
Popular movements, public polls and why Rome voted against the Olympics
From Hamburg’s nein to the Roman ruins of Italy’s bid, why does the public appear to be increasingly sceptical of the benefits of its city hosting the Olympic Games? SportBusiness International investigates.
Sponsorship Works 2016 | Sponsorship Case Study | Nissan and the Uefa Champions League
In 2014, Japanese carmaker Nissan agreed a partnership with the Uefa Champions League (UCL). The challenge was to create an integrated campaign that could be activated in over 90 countries, deliver a strong business impact and bring to life Nissan’s core brand pillars of 'Innovation and Excitement'.
Sealed with an X
SportBusiness International explores the reasons behind the collapse of Hamburg’s bid for the Olympics, and the impact on future bidding processes
Vorsprung durch football
Exclusive interview with Christian Seifert, president of German football's DFL, on Fifa’s dysfunctional football family, maintaining the Bundesliga's social functions in a competitive global market, and why he’s using clichéd stereotypes about Germans to succeed in China.
European Football Sponsorship Report 2015-16
Welcome to the European Football Sponsorship Report 2015-16