Lucas Vazquez of Real Madrid holds off Javi Martinez of Bayern Munich during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final Second Leg match on May 1, 2018 in Madrid. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
ESPN announced an agreement with FC Bayern Munich on Tuesday that would give the network direct access to video including pre- and post-match reports, press briefings, and other features that might otherwise need exclusive access. That content will be shared through ESPN’s digital and social media platforms in both English and Spanish.
“ESPN is one of the world’s leading sports entertainment companies with an impressive audience. Since opening our first international office in the U.S., our mission has always been to bring the club closer to followers across the Americas,” said Rudolf Vidal, FC Bayern Munich’s president of the Americas, in a statement. “ESPN’s reach and storytelling is an ideal platform to connect and service our family of fans.”
Bayern Munich is one of the biggest names in European soccer. The club has won the domestic Bundesliga a total of 28 times, and counting this past season is on a six-year streak. Though it only reached the semifinals of the Champions League in 2018, losing 3-4 on aggregate to Real Madrid, Bayern has won that title five times, including most recently in 2013.
“As one of the most successful clubs in European Football, FC Bayern Munich is a dominant global brand in the sport,” said Scott Guglielmino, ESPN’s senior vice president of programming and acquisitions, in announcing the deal. “This agreement provides ESPN with access to original content directly from FC Bayern and will allow us to better serve football fans throughout the year.”
SportTechie Takeaway
According to Bayern Munich, there are 117 Bayern fan clubs across the U.S. and Canada, more than any other European club. In late July, the soccer team will tour the U.S., playing International Champions Cup games against Juventus in Philadelphia and former Bayern manager Pep Guardiola’s new club, Manchester City, in Miami. That means that although American soccer fans won’t be seeing their own team in action at this summer’s World Cup, they might instead get to see a few World Cup champions back home in the U.S. The German team, which features several Bayern players, is ranked No. 1 in the world, and is a hot favorite to defend its title from 2014 when the World Cup kicks off next month.
Fox Sports and Univision Deportes own the broadcast rights of the Bundesliga in the U.S., and Turner will screen the Champions League over the next three years. But through ESPN’s deal to access behind-the-scenes content from Bayern Munich, the network may still be able to build a following among the German club’s U.S.-based fans.
