May 16 – ESPN has signed a content deal with German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich to bring club content to the broadcaster’s digital and linear networks in the US, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America.
The deal will exclude live matches but will include “behind-the-scenes video, access-driven features, pre- and post-match reports, press briefings, team travelogue, and more” according to an ESPN press release. No value was given for the deal or the number of broadcast hours it will include.
Bayern have been pushing hard into the US market and have had a New York office since 2014. The deal, the first of its kind between ESPN and a sports team, will cover English and Spanish-language ESPN output.
Rudolf Vidal, FC Bayern Munich President of the Americas, said: “ESPN is one of the world’s leading sports entertainment companies with an impressive audience. Since opening our first international office in the U.S., our mission has always been to bring the club closer to followers across the Americas, and ESPN’s reach and storytelling is an ideal platform to connect and service our family of fans.”
The deal will significantly boost Bayern’s profile within ESPN’s football audience. The broadcaster produces a number of compilation, comment and review shows, as well as having an established but still evolving digital presence. ESPN recently announced the expansion of its OTT business as a strategic priority.
ESPN is the official broadcaster of the International Champions Cup this summer and will air both FC Bayern Munich games on its channels in July. Bayern play Juventus in Philadelphia on July 26, before facing Manchester City in Miami on July 29.
“As one of the most successful clubs in European Football, Bayern Munich is a dominant global brand in the sport,” said Scott Guglielmino, ESPN Senior Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions. “This agreement provides ESPN with access to original content directly from Bayern Munich and will allow us to better serve soccer fans throughout the year.”
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