German soccer’s Bundesliga, the organizer of the country’s top two leagues, has launched its first FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) channel in the UK and Ireland as it continues to increase its international presence.
The channel is being launched on the Samsung TV Plus platform and will air all Friday night Bundesliga matches live, starting with tonight’s Bundesliga match between Mainz 05 and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
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Live coverage will also include one Bundesliga 2. Match per kick-off slot (Friday 5.30pm, Saturday 12pm and 7.30pm, Sunday 12.30pm).
The channel, being launched as part of a multi-year partnership between Bundesliga and Samsung, will offer Bundesliga content 24/7, including classic matches, highlights, interviews, press conferences, documentaries, and behind-the-scenes content.
Peer Naubert, Chief Executive Officer of Bundesliga International, said: “Our approach is as diverse as our fans – and this FAST channel is the next proof of that. With a Bundesliga channel on Samsung TV Plus, we’re taking another step in how the Bundesliga can be experienced in the UK: free, live and closer than ever before.
“Following the strong response to our new UK partnerships earlier this year, we’re proud to expand our footprint once again. This launch shows that the Bundesliga doesn’t just talk about innovation – we deliver it, bringing world-class football to fans wherever they are.”
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By GlobalDataThe channel adds to Bundesliga’s visibility in the region, having announced a new broadcast mix, including linear pay-TV, OTT, and free-to-air distribution earlier this year.
The set of multi-year deals covering the next cycle is led by incumbent broadcaster and pay-TV heavyweight Sky Sports, which retains the exclusive rights to the top-match” per gameweek each Saturday (with a 5:30pm UK time kick-off).
This will be supplemented by highlights packages and other shoulder content throughout the season.
Prime Video, the OTT service owned by e-commerce giant Amazon, has also acquired a suite of Bundesliga rights across the cycle in the UK market only, airing every Sunday game on a pay-per-view basis, including both the season-ending relegation play-offs and the season-opening DFL Super Cup in 2027.
As German soccer’s DFL organizer is already partnered with Amazon Web Services, this deal serves to entrench the pair’s relationship.
In addition to Prime Video and Sky, significant free-to-air coverage has also been agreed, with UK public-service broadcaster BBC also snapping up rights.
Every Friday night Bundesliga game through the season will be streamed on the BBC iPlayer OTT service and the BBC Sport digital platform.
Free-to-air distribution of these Friday games will be supplemented by significant coverage on YouTube in a major first. To this end, partnerships have been agreed with prominent soccer content creators such as The Overlap (which features former English Premier League stars Gary Neville, Roy Keane, and Ian Wright) and That’s Football (helmed by prominent fan media personality Mark Goldbridge).
There already exists a strong UK interest in the Bundesliga in the form of England captain Harry Kane, who plays for record champions Bayern Munich.
Kane was joined in the Bundesliga over the previous summer by young stars Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund) and Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), expanding the potential draw for English viewers.
In terms of the Bundesliga’s domestic partners for the next cycle, live rights will be split between pay-TV heavyweight Sky Deutschland and the DAZN sports streaming service, with the total value of those tie-ups (as well as rights for highlights and short clips) over the next four seasons coming to $1.17 billion per campaign.
