Belgian men's soccer's top-tier Pro League faces the prospect of a domestic TV blackout for its next round of fixtures this coming weekend, as the primary rights deal between the competition and DAZN has been annulled.
That contract has had to come to an extremely premature end, with the deal only coming into effect in late July, due to DAZN failing to find at least two other distribution partners for its coverage.
According to the terms of the original deal through which DAZN secured Pro League rights for the 2025-30 cycle, it was required to guarantee wider distribution through striking deals with two or more other partners, who would be able to bring action from the 16-team Pro League to a wider audience.
However, after months of fruitless negotiations between DAZN and several telecommunications operators in the country (including Proximus, Telenet, and Orange), no agreement has been reached.
Therefore, the essential terms of the contract between DAZN and the Pro League have not been met. DAZN renegotiated its media rights agreement with the league for a five-year extension late last year, renewing the deal to a lower figure €84.2 million (at that time, $99.7 million) per season - a significant drop from the previous five-year contract, which was worth €103 million annually.
As such, it has been reported that there is a very real possibility that action from the upcoming matchday 16 in the Pro League - with the first game, Mechelen versus Standard Liege, set for Friday night - will not be shown domestically.
The various parties have until then to identify a short-term solution, or else face a blackout - this, on top of the loss of the DAZN money, would represent a significant blow for the Pro League and its member clubs.
In terms of reaction, the Pro League has put out a statement saying that it is "shocked," and will "take all necessary legal action to ensure that DAZN respects the agreements made."
The league added that DAZN "is demonstrating a complete lack of respect for our football, the clubs, and the fans."
Meanwhile, DAZN Belgium's managing director, Massimo D'Amario, has said that "despite various attempts to resolve the situation, DAZN has no alternative but to observe the extinction of the contract under Belgian law.
"No company should be forced to operate at a loss. That’s simply not a sustainable business.
"For the past five years, our Belgian operation has stood beside the Pro League, its clubs, and its supporters - proof of our long-term commitment to Belgian football."
Earlier this month, it was reported that the Pro League teams were exploring the creation of a direct-to-consumer (DTC) service to house the competition’s domestic media rights amidst the struggles with DAZN.
Belgian outlet Het Nieuwsblad reported that even prior to the most recent renewal with DAZN, the Pro League sides had been considering adopting a DTC model, and although the current preference remains to see out at least the current campaign with DAZN, the concept remains an option for the future.
There was, in addition, a swathe of complaints about DAZN's coverage of the opening weekend of the 2025-26 Pro League season, and about its terms and conditions for customers in general.
DAZN has at least struck domestic deals for Pro League highlights with VRT, the Flemish-language public broadcaster in Belgium, and also with French-language Belgian public-service broadcaster, RTBF.
