I remember the Dark Ages: 2016 Fox Sports. Waking up at 6:30 am PST to watch Dortmund v. Ingolstadt in late March only to find that the game wasn’t on Fox Sports or Fox Sports 2 but instead was only showing on FoxSportsGo, a channel only a select few could access. We’re over that now, right? After all, Football is the ‘World’s Game’ and streaming has taken a huge step forward in the past decade!
Wrong. The Bundesliga’s United States Coverage is moving to USA Network and Fandango (yes, that Fandango)
on a 5-year deal. While not officially announced, both the Athletic and Reuters are reporting the deal as done.
Unfortunately for the league, the total price received per year has dropped. Versant, USA and Fandango’s parent company, will be paying $20 million per year across 5 years compared to the $30 million-per-year fee that ESPN was paying. We’re currently in an age where any soccer league outside of the Premier League isfighting for market access and reach. Serie A renewed their U.S rights with CBS after failing to find a better offer on the open market and Ligue 1 struggled to find a bidder outside of BeinSports. The Bundesliga’s domestic rights are the second biggest on the planet behind the Premier League but finding networks abroad has always been the struggle.
Unfortunately for us fans, this deal seems horrendous. Games will air on either ‘USA’ or Fandango with the bulk of the games falling on Fandango. Access to USA can only be done through a cable network or other provider and there is no subscription service. This may change prior to the start of the season, but Athletic’s big selling point of this deal was that new fans with cable packages can tune into the biggest games. Fandango, however, will be available for free (alongside advertisements). It’s impossible to tell, as of mid-July, which games will be on what network but the Athletic seems to indicate the August 22 Supercup will be on USA and we can expect similar high-profile matches to also end up on the network. Additionally, anyone who appreciated ESPN+ coverage of La Liga, the FA Cup, and other intermittent competitions will see this as a big loss. This decentralized system is simply tragic. Especially when you open the apps themselves.
I downloaded both apps (USA and Fandango) to check them out when this news came out. First and foremost, you’re greeted by Versant’s Data Privacy Disclaimer which contains three pages that all say the same thing, a QR code that you have to scan to specify your preferences, and a checkbox stating “Uncheck the Box and Click ‘Confirm My Choice’ and Complete Opt-Out Form to Opt-Out”. I’m still not sure if I’ve done any of those steps correctly but I did get email confirmation that they “will begin to process your request”. My Data is likely being bought and sold as we speak. Next, Fandango doesn’t have a sports section. It’s never had a sports sections. The Bundesliga will be the first league streamed on the app and I don’t expect that to go well. Finally, I looked ahead to see what was on the USA channels where the Bundelsiga games will be shown. This Sunday has Twenty-one hours of ‘Law & Order’! Get ready to have your Bundesliga games be bookmarked by procedural dramas!
The good news is that Versant’s spending is being backed up by their production value. Just kidding, they’re picking up the world feed just like ESPN did (shoutout Derek Rae). The actual good news is that we won’t have to hear Taylor Twellman and Alejandro Moreno discuss Dortmund’s Der Klassiker performance when they’re down 5-0 at halftime.
Your Thoughts
What are your thoughts on this deal? Are you sad? Miserable? Melancholic? Crestfallen? Feeling hangdog? Perhaps even Woebegone?
As always, we have zero tolerance to sharing illegal streams or any talk of illegal streams. Anyone who does so will be forced to walk the plank.
