October 8 – As the countdown to the 2026 World Cup gathers pace, TV deals are being inked worldwide. In Germany, the battle for free broadcast rights was intensified after Deutsche Telekom snapped up the exclusive rights on its pay-TV online channel, MagentaTV.
In Germany, the State Media Treaty guarantees that matches of “considerable social significance”, such as the opening match, semi-finals, and final, must be shown on free-to-air TV. German national team games also fall under that protection, ensuring that millions can still experience those moments together, in living rooms and beer halls across the country.
With the major broadcast rights package going to MagentaTV’s streaming service, public TV giants ARD and ZDF have been forced to strike a complex sublicensing deal with Deutsche Telekom to ensure that the nation’s biggest matches remain free to watch.
The two have now wrestled back 60 matches, including those featuring the German national team (should they qualify), through a rights swap involving next summer’s European Championship. No value has been given for Magenta TV’s acquisition of World Cup rights.
Telekom, isn’t giving up any of the package, though, and will retain the full 104-match portfolio for its MagentaTV streaming service, with 44 games remaining exclusive to its platform, which sits behind a pay-wall.
Telekom’s entry into the market signals football’s continued shift toward subscription-driven streaming, though, and public broadcasters will be forced into ever more uncompromising deals as they compete with the deeper pockets of private and often better-funded media owners who can focus on specific rights rather than having to maintain a full public service commitment across all programming genres.
Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]