DAZN slams DFL for maligning reputation

Admin I Sunday, April 28, 2024

 

BERLIN – Streaming service DAZN made new accusations against the German Football League (DFL) amid their dispute over delayed payments and the negotiations for the Bundesliga broadcasting rights for 2025-2029.

“The credibility of DAZN as a trustworthy business partner has been massively discredited by the behaviour and statements of the DFL management over the past two weeks,” DAZN boss Shay Segev said on Sunday in a letter to the 36 DFL clubs, which was available to dpa.

The DFL statements give “the impression that DAZN has deliberately caused a massive default in payment to the 36 Bundesliga and second division clubs. We hereby state: This is false and we must vehemently contradict this slander,” the letter read.

The DFL told the clubs on Friday that they are to receive less money than planned from the media rights income.

“The instalment for June 2024 will be reduced from the original €127 million ($135.8 million) to €47 million,” the DFL said.

The reason for that is the fact that €80 million from the current broadcasting rights deal was not received on the contractual due dates, the DFL said.

According to the Bild newspaper, DAZN is €50 million in arrears with its payments obligations. It’s unclear which other right holders are also in debt.

The streaming service are also in a dispute with the DFL over the 2025-2029 Bundesliga broadcasting rights. DAZN currently holds the rights for the Friday and Sunday games in the Bundesliga. But for the 2025-2029 period, it would like to take a bigger package in a tender process that started this month.

The auction, however, was suspended after DAZN said it was unfairly treated by the league when bidding for package B, which is biggest and most lucrative package consisting of the Friday fixture and Saturday afternoon games for a total 196 matches for the seasons 2025-26 to 2028-29.