Bundesliga agrees to four-year extension with NENT for Nordic region

Earlier today the Bundesliga announced that Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), the Nordic region’s leading streaming company, has extended its exclusive pan-Nordic media rights for the German league until 2025.

SUMMARY

  • NENT Group to show more than 300 live Bundesliga games every season
  • Partnership agreed until 2025
  • Bundesliga stars including Erling Braut Håland and Thomas Delaney provide added attraction for Nordic fans

Under the new agreement, NENT Group will show more than 300 live Bundesliga games on its Viaplay streaming service every season and selected games on its linear TV channels. The deal also includes the exclusive pan-Nordic rights to the German Supercup, Bundesliga 2 and the Bundesliga relegation playoff-matches. NENT Group already holds the pan-Nordic Bundesliga rights until 2021.

They will deliver world-class studio productions that enable fans to follow some of the Nordic region’s most popular superstars on a weekly basis. In addition to expert studio analysis and extensive local language commentary, NENT Group will show at least one Bundesliga match a week in Ultra High Definition format. Selected games will also be available on NENT Group’s free-TV channels.

Amongst the 23 Nordic stars currently playing in the Bundesliga are Thomas Delaney and Youssef Poulsen (Denmark); Emil Forsberg, Robin Quaison and Oscar Wendt (Sweden); Lukáš Hrádecký (Finland); and Alfreð Finnbogason (Iceland). An additional 20 players from the region also feature in the Bundesliga 2.

Erling Braut Håland

In January 2020, 19-year old Norwegian striking sensation Erling Braut Håland scored a 23-minute hat-trick on his Borussia Dortmund debut and has since netted a record-breaking seven goals in his first three Bundesliga games.

Helping maintain the Bundesliga’s record as the highest scoring amongst the leading European leagues are German superstars such as Marco Reus, Serge Gnabry, Timo Werner and Thomas Müller, along with international names such as Robert Lewandowski, Philippe Coutinho and Jadon Sancho.

One of the many reasons these players are drawn to the Bundesliga is the electric atmospheres created in Germany’s world-class stadiums. They are home to the best supported football league on the planet, with an average of 43,000 fans attending every game in the 2018-19 season.

Kim Mikkelsen, NENT Group Head of Sport, commented: “The Bundesliga is one of Europe’s best and most exciting leagues, and holds enormous interest from a Nordic perspective. This long-term deal means fans can see many of the region’s biggest talents every week on Viaplay, including Erling Braut Håland – the first teenager in the league’s history to score seven goals in only three Bundesliga games. NENT Group is the Nordic region’s leading streaming company and the breadth of our football coverage is simply in a league of its own.”

Robert Klein, Bundesliga International CEO, stated: “Over the past few years NENT Group has taken coverage of the Bundesliga to the next level across the Nordic region. This has been helped by the strong connections the league has with Nordic fans. They’re attracted by the pure, entertaining football we describe as ‘Football As It’s Meant To Be’. This authenticity is why so many Nordic stars have made a significant impact in Germany, none more so than Erling Braut Håland who is the hottest striker in the world right now. We look forward to capitalising on this as we continue to develop the positive relationship we have built with NENT Group.”