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German soccer’s governing body isn’t quite ready to sell a piece of the media rights for the country’s top professional league.
Deutsche Fussball Liga has reportedly postponed the sale of a 20% stake in the Bundesliga’s media rights until 2023 after clubs in Germany’s first- and second-tier leagues failed to reach a deal.
- The minority stake is worth $3.6 billion.
- A deal was expected to be reached in October.
- The Bundesliga’s media rights business is valued between $16 billion and $19 billion.
In August, the DFL hired Deutsche Bank AG to facilitate the sale as part of a plan to recoup pandemic losses that have plagued clubs across the world. The DFL has also considered loans and other strategic investment ideas to reinvigorate pro soccer in Germany.
Luxembourg-based CVC Capital Partners and roughly 10 other private equity firms have expressed interest in implementing a growth strategy in the DFL to improve its finances.
In March, CVC acquired a 13% stake worth $1.6 billion in the media rights of Ligue 1 — France’s premier pro soccer league.
Heavy Losses
The Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 have lost more than $1.1 billion in revenue since 2020.
During the 2020-21 season, sales for the 36 clubs dropped 10.5% to nearly $4.5 billion behind reduced ticket income and other factors.
Last season, clubs were required to pay roughly $1.4 billion in “taxes and duties overall.”
