Bundesliga International, the global commercial rights division of Germany’s top men’s football league, has announced a five-year extension of its media rights deal with Canal Plus Group, the international pay-television giant. The deal covers the period from 2023-24 to 2027-28, extending the current French-language agreement between the two entities that began ahead of the 2020-21 campaign and is set to expire at the end of the 2022-23 season.

The renewed deal ensures that Canal Plus remains the French-language home of both the Bundesliga and the second-tier 2. Bundesliga across 48 Sub-Saharan countries, excluding South Africa, as well as Mauritius. Canal Plus retains the rights to produce broadcasts in various local languages and French in select markets. The partnership also includes coverage of the annual German Supercup and the end-of-season playoffs that determine which clubs get relegated from the top league.

The Bundesliga and Canal Plus plan to “work together to promote soccer at all levels as well as bringing the excitement of the Bundesliga even closer to fans throughout Africa.” Notable players from Sub-Saharan countries currently contracted to Bundesliga clubs include Sadio Mane and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, both at champions Bayern Munich.

This season, the Bundesliga rights in Sub-Saharan Africa are divided among Canal Plus, Azam TV, and StarTimes, which is the league’s English-language partner. Jacques de Puy, President of Canal Plus International, expressed satisfaction with the partnership, stating that the company is delighted to continue working with Bundesliga, a significant league rich in African players and highly appreciated by Canal Plus subscribers.

In late March, Bundesliga International unveiled a partnership across the Middle East and Africa with soccer content producer Footballco to bring the biggest storylines from Germany’s top two divisions to fans. Footballco has access to the Bundesliga media database and can use videos, photos, and graphics material to produce their content. In addition, Canal Plus holds the French-language rights in Sub-Saharan Africa to Spain’s top-tier LaLiga, and the Premier League, Ligue 1, and Serie A in Italy.

Broadcasting Bundesliga Canal Plus Football