DAZN secures reduction in Belgian Pro League rights payment
DAZN will pay 85% of its contracted Belgian football rights fee for the 2026/27 season after an arbitration tribunal reduced the broadcaster’s interim payment obligation while the wider dispute remains unresolved.
DAZN has avoided paying the full value of its Belgian professional football media rights agreement for the 2026/27 season after an arbitration tribunal ordered the broadcaster to pay 85% of the contracted fee.The streaming platform’s agreement with the Pro League is valued at approximately €84.2 million per season, meaning the ruling would reduce its payment obligation to around €71.6 million for the forthcoming campaign.The decision represents a partial victory for DAZN, which had reportedly sought to limit its payment to 60% of the agreed amount. It nevertheless leaves the Pro League facing a shortfall of approximately €12.6 million against the original annual fee.The ruling was issued by the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation (CEPANI) ahead of the 2026/27 season and is understood to be an interim decision. A final ruling on the broader contractual dispute between DAZN and the Pro League remains pending.DAZN secured the domestic rights to Belgium’s professional competitions under a five-year agreement covering the 2025–30 cycle.The relationship deteriorated during the first season of the contract after DAZN failed to secure the distribution arrangements with Belgian telecommunications companies that it considered necessary to make the agreement commercially sustainable.DAZN subsequently argued that the contract had been lawfully terminated and withheld a scheduled payment, prompting the Pro League to begin emergency arbitration proceedings.An earlier ruling required DAZN to continue producing and broadcasting matches while meeting its financial commitments through the end of the 2025/26 season.DAZN has since committed to showing Belgian football during the 2026/27 campaign, with Jupiler Pro League and Challenger Pro League matches also available through distribution agreements involving Proximus, Telenet and Orange.The expanded distribution provides DAZN with broader access to Belgian households after the platform initially struggled to reach agreements with the country’s major television operators.However, the reduced payment creates further financial uncertainty for clubs that had based their budgets on the full €84.2 million annual value of the media contract.The arbitration outcome will be closely watched across European football as leagues and broadcasters continue to reassess the economics of premium domestic rights agreements and direct-to-consumer streaming models.