Bundesliga Planning Free TV Games

[Timonator]

Bundesliga Planning Free TV Games

The board of the German Football Liga (DFL) are gathering in Dortmund today to iron out the TV deal from 2009. Bundesliga games on free TV are on the agenda

The eleven board members of the DFL meet in Dortmund to discuss the new TV rights, which will take effect from 2009 on.

The main talking point of the day will be DFL president Dr Reinhard Rauball's intention to show 12 Bundesliga games per year live on German terrestrial television, i.e. free of charge.

As other leagues continue to assign games to exclusive - and increasingly expensive - pay TV companies, the Bundesliga is aiming to offer something to ordinary fans who are increasingly being frozen out as football becomes obsessed by money.

The plan is for the games to take place at 8.15pm local time on Saturday nights - and what is more, the league hopes for it to be the 'game of the month' which is shown for free, meaning teams like Bayern, Werder Bremen or Hamburg will be involved.

Including all the pay TV deals also envisaged in the new rights package, Bundesliga clubs hope to net a combined €500m per season more than at present.



What do you think? I think this is a great idea! First of all the fans benefit from that. They get one free game per month and the clubs would also earn something. Though there are a few questions to be asked. What about smaller clubs? It would be unfair to show a Bayern game every 2nd month with smaller clubs beeing left out.

I like the concept, and the way the DFL still thinks about the fans.

[Mertesacker]

That would be awesome.
I'd also love to go to a 20:15 game, great way to start the party on saturday nights but I wonder if they'd even chose a 96 home game.

(I just hope the "free" channel is not DSF)

[Gerry_BMG]

If I would rely on free TV I would be pretty angry if this happens, because I wouldnt want one game/month on digusting Pro7, RTL or Sat1 and having to give up the Sportschau for it.

"As other leagues continue to assign games to exclusive - and increasingly expensive - pay TV companies, the Bundesliga is aiming to offer something to ordinary fans who are increasingly being frozen out as football becomes obsessed by money."

This is actually not only that fans could see a game live, but that the games of the gameday will be split on different channels to let them market these games each and thus being able to create more money for the BL. But I think its a sneaky way to trick people into giving up the Sportschau for a Live-game/ month. Per month? what is during the summer-break? Also there are already 2 games live in TV each season. IMO this is a bull****ting-package.

[Timonator]

Well, if they give up the Sportschau for this "one game per month" concept, then i m against it. It wouldnt make up for what the fans get each Saturday in the Sportschau.

Dont you think its possible to do both? The Sportschau and the "one game per month"?

[Schwalker]

I like it....I seldom watch sportschau anyway :D

More TV-money is good...or stop complaining about the standard of Bundesliga football, as for 12 games per season it´s more than once a month eh?
I might add that this proposal above is being spearheaded by the Schalke/Dortmund fraction that currently runs DFL.

[iowaplasticpaddy]

i think a later/earlier starting game would be really nice, especailly over here. but then you'd be competing against England and Spain for viewers around the world. but that's for a different thread

12 games a year is better than nothing, would be kind of nice if the friday game was on free tv, or the second sunday game.

[Schwalker]

i think a later/earlier starting game would be really nice, especailly over here. but then you'd be competing against England and Spain for viewers around the world. but that's for a different thread

12 games a year is better than nothing, would be kind of nice if the friday game was on free tv, or the second sunday game.


You got something against Saturday games Grant?...

As for the starting time I guess DFL is more concerned about reaching as many German viewers as possible..8.15 is THE primetime and even ordinary free channels would bid heavily to get Bundesliga games to show.

[Gerry_BMG]

I like it....I seldom watch sportschau anyway :D

More TV-money is good...or stop complaining about the standard of Bundesliga football, as for 12 games per season it´s more than once a month eh.

Well, I doubt we complain about us not being able to compete with the english or spanish teams, but that we didnt manage to beat teams from worse leagues, or to compete with the french league internationally. I dont need us to be the best league in europe and win a title every 2nd year, but I want that we have 1-2 teams have at least have a good chance to win a Uefa-Cup or CL-title.