After six years on ESPN, the Bundesliga has a new home in the United States of America.
A combination of USA Network and Fandango has reportedly struck a deal through the 2030-31 season to be the English-language broadcaster of Germany's top flight in the US. The deal is reportedly worth $20 million (€17.4 million) per year, which is noticeably less than the $34 million per year paid by ESPN.
USA and Fandango are part of Versant, a media company that is trying to develop itself as a home for broadcasting rights below the top leagues of the NFL and NBA. Fandango is predominately an app to buy movie tickets, but Versant is looking to diversify its offering by including live sports. All 300-plus Bundesliga games will air on either channel, with USA requiring a subscription and Fandango being free and ad-supported.
The reaction from US-based Bundesliga fans on social media was mostly negative.
"This will only make the Bundesliga even more obscure," posted @skierpro on X. "Any momentum the league had in the US and growing viewership will be destroyed. The folks in Germany signing this agreement have no idea about the US it seems. They just shot themselves in the foot with this deal."
