DFB-Pokal rights awarded to ARD, ZDF and Sky

German football rights have returned to growth with the German Football Federation’s (DFB) latest broadcast rights deal for the DFB-Pokal. 

The body has awarded live rights to the men’s competition for the three seasons from 2022/23 to ARD, ZDF and Sky, with highlights packages going to DAZN and Sport1. The DFB, which had retaken charge of the tender process, said that the rights were up by more than 20 per cent per season.

Both ARD and ZDF will show 15 live games per season, with two more free-to-air matches than before, including both semi-finals and the cup final. Sky Deutschland meanwhile will broadcast all 63 DFB-Pokal games live from the first round through to the final.

Of the rights win award, Heike Ullrich, deputy general secretary for the DFB, said: “The interest in the rights tender and the results prove the incredible charisma, appeal and attractiveness of the DFB-Pokal. We believe that, with these contracts, we have made good decisions in various areas. For example, one positive is that we will be able to offer fans more free-to-air matches in the future. Also, the increase in free-to-air matches during the first round will offer our amateur teams more opportunities to play in front of a large audience.”

Dr. Holger Blask, CEO of the DFB GmbH, said: “We are very pleased to continue our successful partnerships with ARD, Sky and Sport1, that we have won back ZDF and that we can welcome DAZN as a new media partner. Despite tough economic times, we have been able to present a significant increase in revenue that our amateur and professional clubs in the DFB-Pokal will be able to benefit from. We would like to thank our partners for this strong signal and their contribution to ensuring the economic stability of football until the year 2026.”

The deals mark a return to growth for German football rights, after DAZN and Sky Deutschland were awarded the rights to the top flight Bundesilga last year in a cut-price €4.4 billion deal – down from the previous deal’s value of €4.64 billion.