January 7 – German TV viewers will now be able to follow Bundesliga and UEFA club competitions via IPTV for the first time.
In the first deal of its kind in Germany, the complete offering of Sky Deutschland, including Bundesliga coverage, will be made available through Deutsche Telekom for its Entertainment IPTV customers.
Starting with the 2013/14 season, in addition to live Bundesliga coverage, Deutsche Telecom Entertainment customers will gain
access to Sky’s content, including UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, DFB-Pokal, as well as Golf and Tennis majors.
The platform will feature Sky Welt, Sky Fußball Bundesliga, Sky Sport and Sky Film, as well as the extensive Sky HD lineup. The
agreement runs through mid-2017 and also includes a number of joint marketing activities.
“Our cooperation is good news for everyone whose heart beats a little faster for football,” said Michael Hagspihl, the managing director of marketing at Telekom Deutschland. “As Sky’s partner we can offer our Entertain IPTV customers the most extensive football program in Germany, and everything will be available in HD.”
Brian Sullivan, the CEO of Sky Deutschland, added: “This partnership is great news for football and entertainment fans all across Germany. The agreement ensures those already watching the Bundesliga on the Telekom Entertain platform can continue to do so uninterrupted.”
The deal once again emphasises the importance of football to driving new broadcast platform penetration and why broadcasters
will pay a premium for football. Although the Sky deal includes film, general entertainment product and other sport, the core asset and motivation for Deutsche Telekom is the football content.
This deal is announced as telecom giant British Telecom, via its broadcast entertainment arm BT Vision, puts in place its own plans for Premier League coverage starting with the 2013/14 season. BT Vision will share the rights with Sky in the UK, taking over from more-established sports broadcaster ESPN.
Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1734879866labto1734879866ofdlr1734879866owedi1734879866sni@o1734879866fni1734879866