Bundesliga's fan base has been rising in the United States, especially among the league's younger viewersGETTY IMAGES
As Bundesliga Int'l's five-year U.S. TV rights contract with Fox Sports approaches its expiration date in '20, the German soccer league is "weighing options to find the right balance between broadcast TV and streaming that will help its U.S. viewership grow," according to Karen Chu of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Bundesliga has opened an office in N.Y. that "oversees development in the Americas." Its fan base is "rising in the U.S., especially among young viewers," and the league is "leveraging that to formulate its broadcast rights strategy." Bundesliga Int'l CEO Robert Klein said, "There is research that shows (in the U.S.) in the age group of 0 to 18 a growth in the last 10 years in terms of uptake of the sport and also the following. With this information, we're able to target our strategy to the right potential consumers and in the right manner. That also involves going to the right commercial and digital partners to create a constant narrative around our (soccer) season to be able to be successful." Klein said that Bundesliga's existing TV rights contracts around the world, except for in Europe and China, are "also coming to an end at the same time" as the U.S. rights. In that sense, the league is "entering a sales period to decide how to maximize its viewership going forward." Klein noted that the league also has to "strike a balance between the price and size of the audience a bidder can offer for its broadcast rights" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 4/30).
