From Bayern Munich To 'Hinterland,' Fox Aims To Present Authentic Bundesliga Coverage

When defending champion Bayern Munich takes on Hamburg to kick off the ’15-16 Bundesliga season this Friday, it will also mark the beginning of Fox Sports as the new U.S. home for Germany’s top professional football league. Fox Sports will live broadcast all 306 Bundesliga matches across its family of networks -- FS1, FS2 and Fox Soccer Plus -- and online. All games will be available as live streams on FoxSoccer.com or through its apps, Fox Sports GO and Fox Soccer 2 GO. Jonty Whitehead, Exec Producer/Soccer at Fox Sports, told SBD Global it is his job is to make sure the network tells all of the league’s "tales" over the course of the season. "From the start of the season until the end, there [will be] so many stories, great personalities and player developments," he said. "[We want] to be authentic to the league to get the stories across in the best possible way." As an example, he mentioned Fox Sports’ broadcast of this year’s FA Community Shield between Chelsea and Arsenal on Aug. 2. The personal "feud" between Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger and his Chelsea counterpart, Jose Mourinho, played a big role in the networks’ coverage plans leading up to the game. When Wenger refused to shake Mourinho’s hand after the game, which Arsenal won 1-0, "all the guys in the studio started to cheer," Whitehead said. "Those are the little tiny stories that are important for us to discover and to put across to the viewers."

PITCHING IN: The Bundesliga itself will do its part to make sure Fox will be able to capture such moments. The league, on the request of Fox, put together “insider guides” to a number of its 18 clubs. The segments will portray the clubs’ history and development, Whitehead said. “To have that ability from the host broadcaster is unique. But it’s unique because this is a world deal. It’s not just with Fox in the U.S., this is around the globe.” The deal, which 21st Century Fox signed in ’13, includes 80 countries and territories on four continents. The financial terms of the deal remain confidential. Due to the deal's global scope, the Bundesliga understands the need to produce this material as it is looking to increase its awareness around the world. While viewers may have been exposed to clubs such as Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg as part of Fox’s coverage of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, the majority of Bundesliga teams lack this int'l presence. Whitehead, who described the lesser-known teams as the league’s "Hinterland" -- the German word for backcountry -- believes the features will help build fan bases for those sides and show their blue-collar nature, which might appeal to viewers.

BAYERN CONNECTION: The network is not only talking to the league regarding its coverage and production plans, but also to its clubs and in particular Bayern Munich. The club opened an office in N.Y. in ’14 and is collaborating with Fox to sync up their promotional campaigns. Bayern’s network of more than 80 officially registered fan clubs across the U.S. will play a featured role in those promo plans. “National TV coverage will undoubtedly help fans more easily organize and build excitement around our weekly matches,” said Rudolf Vidal, managing director of Bayern Munich US. “Our fan clubs are our most valuable multiplier, so if we do joint promotions with Fox or watch parties it is directly for our fan clubs.” The club also hopes to provide its fan clubs with discounts on Fox’s streaming services, Vidal added. The 58 games, which are scheduled to air on FS1, will have a studio show that features former Bundesliga player Ian Joy as the lead host. Joy will be joined by a rotation of analysts including Bundesliga veteran Eric Wynalda. With the help of its sister network, Sky Deutschland, Fox Sports will be able to augment its coverage with on-site reporters, Whitehead said. He stayed away from any comparison to NBC's coverage of the Premier League, only applauding the competitor’s authentic coverage. "We are a different company, and we have a different philosophy. We do things in a different way."