Eleven Sports, the international subscription broadcaster, has hired Stefaan Kestens from telecoms firm Telenet as head of revenues and acquisitions in Belgium.

He joins the broadcaster after spending 11 years at Telenet where he had a key role in acquiring sports broadcast rights for the company.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

Kestens was also responsible for overseeing Telenet’s Play Sports platform.

Last year, Guillaume Collard left his role as managing director and group chief rights acquisitions and distribution officer at Eleven to become chief executive of RTL Belgium, a division of the international commercial broadcasting giant.

In July, Eleven promoted Massimo D’Amario to replace Collard as managing director in Belgium and Luxembourg.

The pay-TV broadcaster’s biggest rights agreement in Belgium is a five-year deal for domestic soccer’s top-flight Pro League worth €103 million ($109.3 million) per season. The contract runs until the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

With just one more year to run on that deal after this season, Kestens will be tasked with negotiating a renewal soon.

Kestens has experience in negotiating rights deals with the Pro League as Telenet was one of several domestic rightsholders prior to Eleven.

The telecoms firm subsequently agreed a distribution deal with Eleven to continue showing the Belgian top-tier.

Eleven’s portfolio in the country also includes the German Bundesliga, France’s Ligue 1, Spain’s LaLiga, the NFL, NBA, and UFC.

DAZN Group, the global sports media firm and parent company of the sports streaming service, recently secured an agreement to acquire the Eleven Sports business and its digital content company Team Whistle.