ZDF open to partnerships in sports-rights market

German public-service broadcaster ZDF has said it is open to partnerships with rival operators in a bid to enhance its position in the sports-rights market.

The comments of ZDF’s sports director Thomas Fuhrmann come after the broadcaster recently lost another of its prized sports properties.

Earlier this month, German pay-television broadcaster Sky renewed rights for the Uefa Champions League club football competition and agreed a deal to sublicense coverage to DAZN, the OTT service operated by digital sports media company Perform.

The new three-year deal covers the 2018-19 to 2020-21 seasons and grants Sky rights in Germany and Austria to the competition across satellite, cable, IPTV, web and mobile platforms. In the current rights cycle in Germany for the Champions League, ZDF has free-to-air rights, while Sky holds pay-television rights.

Fuhrmann told German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung: “ZDF will continue trying to secure attractive rights and remain an important market player. And we will, from case to case, look for new partners.

“I have no problem talking to Deutsche Telekom for this purpose, for example, or Amazon and other pay-TV and streaming providers. We have to follow new paths and possibly work together.”

In November international sports broadcaster Eurosport confirmed it would be the exclusive home of the Olympic Games in Germany from 2018 to 2024, beginning with the 2018 winter Games in Pyeongchang.

The announcement came amid question marks surrounding the future of Olympic Games rights in Germany. Public-service broadcasters ARD and ZDF were in talks with Eurosport’s parent company, Discovery Communications, over a sublicensing deal for rights covering the Olympic Games in 2018 and 2020. However, the fee for such rights was said to be a sticking point.

Regarding the potential for a deal further down the road, Fuhrmann said: “We will follow with great interest how things are done at the Olympic winter Games in Pyeongchang. It’s a long time until 2024. And they do know our phone number.”

Concerning the loss of the Champions League rights, Fuhrmann said ZDF is existing in a “new age,” adding: “As bitter as this is for the ZDF, we cannot always continue to participate in this price spiral, because new competitors are emerging who have a lot of capital and are trying out new business models.”