DFL Members Assembly votes for strategic marketing partnership at league level
11 December 2023 – The Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs have voted in favour of a strategic marketing partnership at league level at today’s DFL Members Assembly. The DFL Executive Committee, as the responsible body under the Articles of Association, has thus been given a mandate to carry out a process and conclude a legally binding strategic marketing partnership. Over the course of the process, the DFL management will conduct negotiations in the coming months.
It is envisaged that the strategic marketing partnership will be implemented in the form of a licence model that provides for the establishment of a new marketing company. The global media rights and other commercial rights (e.g. central licensing partnerships and sponsorships at league level) will be licensed to the new company by DFL e.V. Through its minority interest in the company, the partner will receive a maximum of eight per cent of the licensing revenue from the exploitation of the DFL’s commercial rights for 20 years, the duration of the licence agreement. Specifically, sovereign rights and functions of the DFL (in the area of sport, for example), as well as the influence and rights of participation of the clubs, will be fully maintained at all times. The exact amount of the investment will form part of the negotiations with the bidders, and, in addition to the key economic points, these negotiations will also include due diligence and the finalisation of the business plan in detail. This process will be carried out with several interested parties.
At its discretion, the Executive Committee will then make a final decision on the selection of the strategic marketing partner and the conclusion of the transaction. With regard to the maximum investment amount, the financial scope, corporate governance and other issues, the Executive Committee can only enter into a contract where the key conditions and parameters that have been agreed by the clubs today have been met, and therefore only within a clearly defined framework. The process is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2024.
Would you like to find out more about this topic? You will find a comprehensive FAQ with information on key points, guidelines and “red lines” for a strategic marketing partnership at league level as well as answers to frequently asked questions here.
Further details can also be taken from today’s press conference with the two DFL CEOs Marc Lenz and Steffen Merkel, which you can watch in full here (in German):
