DFB and Sportainment to launch pay TV channel DFB TV

The German Football Association (DFB) is set to launch a new linear pay-TV channel, DFB.TV, in a joint venture with Sportainment Media Group, adding another owned-and-operated platform to the country’s increasingly fragmented football media market.The 24/7 channel is scheduled to go live on May 22, on the eve of the men’s DFB Cup final, with live coverage around the event positioned as its on-air debut and an early driver of subscriptions and awareness.DFB.TV managing director Gisbert Wundram said: “We are creating a new media home for football fans in Germany. DFB.TV has the potential to become an important player in the country’s sports media landscape.”The channel is designed to broaden exposure for competitions and content that receive limited linear coverage, while presenting the project as complementary to existing rights partners rather than a direct competitor for premium live rights.Programming will span junior national teams, the Finaltag der Amateure, futsal, beach soccer and the DFB eCup, supported by interviews, features and archive content, with highlights packages from the DFB Cup, the 3. Liga, the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga and national teams also included.DFB.TV is targeting wide distribution from launch across cable, satellite, IPTV and streaming, with initial carriage agreements including Vodafone’s nationwide cable network, Astra distribution via HD+, streaming platform Zattoo and sports streamer DAZN, with talks continuing with other operators such as Deutsche Telekom’s MagentaTV and Sky Deutschland.A direct-to-consumer app, DFB.TV+, is also planned in partnership with Deltatre, priced at €5.99 per month or €59.99 annually, and set to be available in Austria and Switzerland as well as Germany.Commercially, the venture is expected to be funded through a mix of subscription and advertising revenues, with ad sales handled by Publicis Groupe under a wider strategic partnership focused on marketing and monetisation.Distribution has already begun with a promotional free-to-air window, DFB.TV Free, which started broadcasting on April 15 on Astra as an unencrypted showcase channel aimed at satellite households and designed to preview formats ahead of the paid launch.HD Plus managing director Christoph Mühleib said: "DFB.TV is a milestone for football fans in Germany. Together with DFB, we are making the official association channel easily accessible via satellite – with live football, exclusive insights and background reporting.”He said: “Personally, I am particularly looking forward to the DFB ‘insides’ around the men’s DFB Cup final and, of course, to the reports from the FIFA World Cup 2026.”DFB.TV plans to follow Germany’s national teams through camps, matches and tournaments, including on-site coverage during the FIFA World Cup 2026 from the team base camp and the 'German House of Soccer,' with press conferences and behind-the-scenes reporting positioned as key subscription hooks.