Suspense until the final whistle
14 May 2024 – The league winner is clear – end of season? Not in the Bundesliga. There are many rewards besides the championship that are worth fighting for. For example, the places in the European club competitions. And the relegation battle keeps football fans (and the affected clubs) on tip-toes until the final whistle of the last match! In addition, numerous cameras will follow the presentation of the Meisterschale to Xabi Alonso’s team in Leverkusen.
Following the relegation drama up close
Since this highly dramatic phase of the season has all the ingredients to captivate Bundesliga fans around the world, DFL is producing comprehensive extra content. For example, the new DFL in-house series “Relegation Rollercoaster” has been following five clubs in six episodes during this final phase of the 2023/24 season. All five squads were in or close to the relegation zone towards the end of the first leg of 2023/24: 1. FC Union Berlin, VfL Bochum, 1. FC Heidenheim, 1. FC Köln and 1. FSV Mainz 05. During the second leg, these clubs performed quite differently, and the 26-minute sequels of our special feature trace their individual development. The camera follows the teams closely, revealing what makes the Bundesliga unique and why the fight for the championship it isn’t only story that stirs emotions; the relegation battle, frequently a show of remarkable athletic achievements, is equally captivating. A trailer giving a foretaste of this DFL original production is included in this issue of Focus: Tomorrow. The broadcasting rights for the six episodes of Relegation Rollercoaster are owned by DFL media partners, so keep an eye on their programming!
Close cooperation with clubs enables deep insights
Thanks to its close cooperation partnership with the clubs and their active support, the DFL has been able to capture very special and exclusive insights for its in-house production. What happens in the stadiums has a strong impact on the personal lives and careers of the players, coaches, the “team behind the team”, the club managers and fans. Relegation, no matter from what level, is a highly emotional and bitter experience; on the other hand, the sometimes unexpected success of a promoted team can truly keep the football world on tenterhooks.
Media focus on Bayer Leverkusen’s championship celebration
The fact that a club like Bayer 04 Leverkusen who had never before won the German championship was able to secure the Meisterschale for the 2023/24 season at an early time will make the end-of-season championship celebration a unique experience. And the fact that the new German champions set a new European record by playing the longest series of official matches without a single loss while making it to the Europa League final has put coach Xabi Alonso’s squad into the headlines far beyond Germany. The DFL’s international media partners can rely on the editorial expertise of the DFL to deliver rich additional content padding for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen story.
So the end of a Bundesliga season isn’t exclusively about the coronation of the Meister – which will, however, definitely be celebrated especially triumphantly; the final match will feature two additional drone cameras and augmented reality graphics to create a worthy backdrop for the Meisterspiel and the subsequent championship ceremony. What is more, the nine parallel matches of the season’s final Bundesliga matchday will be presented by the DFL in the largest possible conference, the international Goal Arena. The Bundesliga 2 final matches the following Sunday will likewise be upgraded with a wide range of extra features, such as augmented reality, additional cameras, or portraits of outstanding players and coaches.
Localised content for OTT offerings all around the world
Localised content, such as custom clips in local languages published on a weekly basis; five different language versions of the Relegation Rollercoaster; creative ideas such as the RefCam – the plentiful content offerings in the DFL’s International Product Portfolio (IPP) account for the trend towards OTT products, creating flexible options for DFL media partners to enrich their local programming by adding new, rare perspectives and exclusive story-telling. All this lets viewers immerse themselves even deeper into the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 adventure!