Bundesliga Secures New US Broadcasting Deal with Versant

After six years on ESPN, the Bundesliga has a new home in the United States of America.

A combination of USA Network and Fandango has reportedly struck a deal through the 2030-31 season to be the English-language broadcaster of Germany's top flight in the US. The deal is reportedly worth $20 million (€17.4 million) per year, which is noticeably less than the $34 million per year paid by ESPN.

USA and Fandango are part of Versant, a media company that is trying to develop itself as a home for broadcasting rights below the top leagues of the NFL and NBA. Fandango is predominately an app to buy movie tickets, but Versant is looking to diversify its offering by including live sports. All 300-plus Bundesliga games will air on either channel, with USA requiring a subscription and Fandango being free and ad-supported.

The reaction from US-based Bundesliga fans on social media was mostly negative.

"This will only make the Bundesliga even more obscure," posted @skierpro on X. "Any momentum the league had in the US and growing viewership will be destroyed. The folks in Germany signing this agreement have no idea about the US it seems. They just shot themselves in the foot with this deal."

"This is bad. The simplicity of having every game on ESPN that already has a lot of other sports was perfect. Fandango, a company with nearly no sports streaming experience, may be free, but the games on USA will require an expensive YT TV, Fubo or similar package," posted Corbin Williams on X.

"SAD! USA is OK but Fandango is not a popular streaming app. ESPN was easily accessible. Games on Fandango is going to be like going to the bike shop to buy a BMW," wrote Eric Smith on social media.

New Bundesliga deal a case of less money, but more reach

Some believe the drop in financial return is a sign of the times for the Bundesliga. Others see it as an opportunity.

"From the outside, the new agreement appears to deliver less media-rights income per season but broader distribution, greater discoverability, and a better chance of reaching viewers beyond the Bundesliga's existing fan base. In essence, the reported financial return appears lower, but the potential reach is greater," Dominik Schreyer, a professor of sports economics at Germany's Otto Beisheim School of Management, told DW.

While Schreyer admits that the reported fee being less than the previous deal is disappointing from a business perspective, it is also important to consider its context.

"The DFL is facing a difficult market reality. The media-rights market has become more selective, while competition for audience attention is intensifying. Maximizing the check from each individual cycle may therefore no longer be the only sensible objective," Schreyer said.

"The new distribution model could still prove strategically valuable if its broader reach helps build a larger and more commercially attractive audience over time," he added.

ESPN's coverage in terms of reporters and commentators was praised by most fans, but the new deal suggests that perhaps it wasn't the ideal place for Germany's top flight.

"My best guess is that the previous model provided insufficient prominence within ESPN's crowded sports portfolio, potentially limiting audience growth. The Bundesliga may now be more important to a partner seeking to establish and differentiate its own live-sports offering in an intensely competitive market, although we cannot know from the outside which considerations ultimately drove the change," Schreyer said.

Is the Bundesliga really growing in America?

"The 2026 World Cup has highlighted the tremendous growth potential of soccer in the US," Robin Austermann, Bundesliga Americas executive vice president, said in a statement. "We've seen that momentum firsthand, with the number of Bundesliga fans in the US growing by 43% over the past five years."

While that may be true, German football's struggle more generally cannot be helping the Bundesliga's position in the market. Bayern Munich have long been dominant domestically, removing both the feeling of competition and suspense in the league. The number of star players isn't high compared to other leagues, and Germany's poor showing at recent World Cups has also weakened the standing of German football globally.

It's clear that the Bundesliga faces an enormous task when it comes to improving its position at the negotiating table for broadcasting deals, much of which is beyond its control. Nevertheless, there is hope that, as mentioned by Austermann, the football momentum provided by the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico can be harnessed to the Bundesliga's advantage.

"It now needs to use prominent scheduling, strong promotion, and localized storytelling to build consumption capital," said Schreyer. "Once viewers discover the product, repeated exposure helps them learn about the clubs, recognize the stars, understand the rivalries and gradually turn occasional viewing into habit, fandom, and ultimately commercial value."