German soccer’s top-tier Bundesliga has extended its partnership with international sports and media agency IMG, which will continue as the official international licensee of archive content from the main Bundesliga competitions.
This partnership, which began in 2019 and was renewed in 2023, will continue on new multi-year terms and expands upon a long-standing relationship between the agency giant and the top-flight competition spanning a range of services.
Having partnered on the licensing efforts since 2019, IMG will continue to distribute footage from the Bundesliga, the second-tier 2.Bundesliga, and the season-opening DFL Super Cup, in all global markets outside of the DACH region (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg).
This content specifically encompasses around 250,000 hours of footage from the DFL Media Hub, spanning all the way back to the competition’s inaugural 1963-64 campaign.
IMG will support global media companies, brands, and partners to sub-license that content.
More than 12,000 hours of video material are added to the DFL Media Hub each season and are available via the DFL’s Sportcast subsidiary.
Speaking on the renewed deal, IMG senior director for archive Bill Hawes said: “With over 60 years of football history, the Bundesliga archive remains one of the most valuable and engaging sports archives for storytellers and content creators globally. We are proud to extend our partnership with Bundesliga Media and continue bringing iconic moments from German football to audiences around the world.”
IMG’s archive division hosts content from a range of high-profile sports properties, including English soccer’s Premier League, women’s soccer’s NWSL, the World Rugby governing body, golf’s The Open tournament and the DP World Tour, tennis’ iconic Wimbledon major, combat sports heavyweight UFC, professional wrestling promotion WWE, and more.
Robin Austermann, Bundesliga Media head of European audiovisual rights, added: “Our long-standing partnership with IMG to market our international archive rights is a testament to the trusted collaboration we have built over many decades.
“IMG’s expertise and commitment have been instrumental in bringing the rich history of the Bundesliga to audiences around the world, which not only preserves our heritage but also continues to unlock new opportunities for innovation and storytelling for future generations of fans.”
