Media report
Blackstone is apparently withdrawing from the Bundesliga bidding process
Fans protest with a banner against the awarding of media rights to CVC and Blackstone
© Swen Pförtner / DPA
The German Football League is threatened with a setback in its planned media rights partnership. According to a media report, financial investor Blackstone wants to jump ship – as a result of the hesitant attitude of some clubs.
According to a report by the Bloomberg news agency, the US financial investor Blackstone is withdrawing from the bidding process for the media rights of the Bundesliga. Accordingly, the group is also abandoning the project because it is feared that the process will drag on too long due to the hesitation of some clubs. The ongoing protests from fans are also said to have an influence on Blackstone refraining from joining. When asked on Tuesday, Blackstone and the German Football League (DFL) did not want to comment on initial media reports about a possible exit.
This apparently only leaves the investment company CVC as the last contender for a percentage stake in a DFL subsidiary to exploit media rights. The DFL hopes to receive one billion euros from a financial investor for this share in the TV revenue.
The contract with the strategic marketing partner should be concluded before the national TV rights are put out to tender. The auction for this is planned for mid-April. The DFL recently reduced the number of applicants little by little to two companies, but now there is probably only one left. The active fan scenes have been protesting against the DFL’s plans for months. In a vote by the 36 professional clubs last December, the necessary two-thirds majority was only barely achieved.
Fans protested against investors joining the DFL
According to insiders, CVC and Blackstone recently offered around one billion euros for the rights stake, thus outdoing their Swedish rival EQT, reports the Reuters news agency. However, there were concerns among the clubs about CVC, which was considered the favorite, because CVC is already involved in football in a similar way in France and Spain. The decision should be made by the end of March.
The president of VfB Stuttgart, Claus Vogt, had called for a new vote among the 36 German first and second division clubs after doubts arose about the outcome of the first vote. With 24 yes votes, the DFL had just achieved the required two-thirds majority.
Fans had repeatedly disrupted Bundesliga games in recent weeks with protests against the entry of an investor, which resulted in long interruptions. “It’s a messy situation,” said the insider. If you include the first, failed attempt, the bidding process has now dragged on for more than a year and a half.
This post has been updated.