Top Dutch football league to remain on ESPN until mid-2030; Deal rumored at €750 million
The Eredivisie football matches will stay on ESPN for another five years, the umbrella organization behind the top Dutch football tournament, Eredivisie CV, announced on Tuesday. Eredivisie CV and the 18 Eredivisie clubs unanimously agreed to let the sports channel keep the broadcasting rights.
It also guarantees that the Eerste Divisie matches will all be shown live, as will every KNVB Cup match and every Women's Eredivisie match. The Eredivisie clubs will all maintain sponsorship rights and international media rights.
The specific terms of the deal were not announced, but sources previously told De Telegraaf that the deal with ESPN involved around 750 million euros. The new agreement was rumored to be worth an average amount of around 135 million euros per season for the five-year period. An additional signing bonus of 70 million euros was also anticipated once the contract is completed.
Under terms of the current deal, which expires in mid-2025, the professional football clubs take home 80 million euros per season. That contract was secured by ESPN predecessor Fox Sports after its acquisition of Eredivisie Live ten years ago.
“The new media deal has a positive outcome for both Dutch football fans and the clubs competing in the Eredivisie, the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, the Azerion Vrouwen Eredivisie, and the KNVB Cup. All clubs will receive substantially more income, and from 2024, all matches in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie and the Azerion Vrouwen Eredivisie will be broadcast live on ESPN,” Eredivisie CV said.
Eredivisie clubs agreed during a vote on Tuesday. "The parties will now further develop this agreement into a contract," Eredivisie CV said.
