ESPN+ is on the verge of adding what is arguably the second best international soccer league for television, The Post has learned.
Sources say that ESPN+ is in the final stages of picking up Germany’s Bundesliga to add to its growing array of soccer offerings. The whole package, according to sources with knowledge of the deal, is expected to be exclusively on Plus beginning in the 2020-2021 season.
The deal is not official yet, so it remains possible there could be some games on linear TV (regular ESPN channels), but at the least, an extremely high percentage will be on ESPN+, Disney’s $4.99 per month sports service.
ESPN declined comment.
This year, Bundesliga will be on Fox Sports, which includes games on FS1 and the Fox network.
The German League is probably the second most appealing international soccer TV league deal for American fans after NBC Sports’ English Premier League. NBC also puts games on its main network, though the majority appear via NBCSN.
Spain’s La Liga, featuring Lionel Messi, is also in the conversation for best international soccer league. BeIN Sports broadcasts La Liga in the States.
The Bundesliga features Bayern Munich, which is annually one of the best teams in the world. The league did have the United States’ top player, Christian Pulisic, but now Pulisic has transferred from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea, which could further boost NBC’s Premier League package.
Though the financials of the deal are unknown, it was likely worth more to Disney-owned ESPN+ than it is to Fox. The ratings of the league were more important to Fox, where as ESPN+ will use it to drive subscriptions and encourage retention.
ESPN+ has already become a destination for soccer fans. It has all out-of-market MLS games, Italy’s top league, Serie A, and England’s domestic competition, the FA Cup, on the still relatively new service that the company claims has more than 2 million subscribers.
But the German league, with its rich history, should become ESPN+’s top soccer driver.
By the time the Bundesliga appears on ESPN+, the service is expected to be bundled with the company’s upcoming Netflix-like Disney+ and the now fully Disney-owned Hulu.