German handball fans "can breathe a sigh of relief after the Commission for Approval & Oversight (ZAK) granted a special broadcast permission to the Deutsche Kreditbank (DKB)," according to Alexander Krei of DWDL. The financial institution purchased the broadcast rights for the Handball World Cup from rights holder beIN Sports after German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, as well as pay-TV network Sky Deutschland, failed to reach a deal with the Arab broadcaster. DKB plans to air the games on an OTT channel. The problem, however, is that as a financial institution, DKB does not have a broadcast license. The ZAK, a division of the Bavarian State Center for Media (BLM), said, "Due to the special and extraordinary circumstance, the broadcast of the Handball World Cup on DKB's internet platform will be tolerated." DKB, which is also a sponsor of the German national team, "will stream all games of the German national team, as well as other select games." The 2017 Handball World Cup takes place in France and kicks off on Wednesday (DWDL, 1/10).
