The German Football League (DFL) "is currently preparing the media rights tender for the upcoming rights period from '17-18," according to Peter Bock of SPONSORs. The league "provided Germany's Federal Cartel Office with a preliminary tender concept for examination." The concept includes two new kickoff times -- Mondays at 8:15pm and Sundays at 1:30pm. The DFL said that the new times are intended "to reduce the workload of internationally competing Bundesliga clubs." The concept also includes two new rights packages. Those two new packages include around 30 live Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga games per season. The packages "are made for smaller media companies and potential startups." The tender "will therefore include a total of eight live packages." The DFL "is also planning to offer packages, which are currently only for pay-TV, for both pay and free-TV." According to the concept, DFL "will continue to allow media corporations to buy all offered rights." The approved tender concept "will be sent out to interested buyers in January." The DFL "is expected to make a decision on the rights in April" (SPONSORs, 7/3).
