The investment is designed to increase the league’s “international competitiveness,” according to Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, who also serves on the Bundesliga supervisory board.
The Bundesliga board has revealed plans to set up a joint venture with an outside investor that will hold the media rights for the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 in order to increase its revenue and close the gap on the English Premier League.
Due to the particularly high regulatory barriers to direct investments into individual clubs, the league have been exploring a partial sell-off of their TV income.
They expect to receive €2billion (£1.75bn, $2.2bn) for a 12.5 per cent share in the new company, and for the agreement to run for 20 years. Four private equity firms are currently bidding to become the league’s partners.
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The investment is designed to increase the league’s international competitiveness' according to Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, who also serves on the Bundesliga supervisory board.
Existing TV income, about €1.3billion per season, has been flat for a while. International TV rights (about €200m a year), in particular, are worth a fraction of rival leagues: the Premier League makes €1.9bn per year from foreign rights alone.
The idea is that the money from investors as well as their expertise in marketing and generating growth will help the Bundesliga bring in more income to at least partially makeup that gap.
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Other European leagues are exploring similar funding. Last year, Ligue 1 sold a 15 per cent stake in their media rights to CVC for €1.5billion. CVC have also bought 8.25 per cent of the Spanish TV rights for just under €2bn for 50 years.
Forty-percent of the funds (€800m) will be kept back and spent centrally on the 'digitalization and internationalization' of the league, including setting up a dedicated streaming channel.
Another forty-five percent (€900m) is earmarked for the club's infrastructure, such as stadiums, club training centers, and academies. The final 15 percent (€300m) can be spent at the clubs' discretion.