Bundesliga extends archive rights partnership with IMG

Bundesliga Media has extended its partnership with IMG to license the international archive rights for Germany’s top football competitions.

The renewed agreement will see IMG continue to license footage from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, in markets outside of the DACH region (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg).

IMG has represented the Bundesliga’s archive content distribution since 2012.

IMG will continue to license archive content to international media companies, brands and partners from the Deutsche Fußball Liga’s (DFL) extensive historical database.

The DFL Media Hub is one of the world’s largest digital football archives of its kind, containing 250,000 hours of content and covering over 60 years of German football history, dating back to the inaugural 1963/64 Bundesliga season. 

“Our long-standing partnership with IMG to market our international archive rights is a testament to the trusted collaboration we have built over many decades” said Robin Austermann, Bundesliga Media head of European audio-visual rights. “IMG’s expertise and commitment have been instrumental in bringing the rich history of the Bundesliga to audiences around the world, which not only preserves our heritage, but also continues to unlock new opportunities for innovation and storytelling for future generations of fans.”

Bill Hawes, senior director, archive, IMG adds: “With over 60 years of football history, the Bundesliga archive remains one of the most valuable and engaging sports archives for storytellers and content creators globally. We are proud to extend our partnership with Bundesliga Media and continue bringing iconic moments from German football to audiences around the world.”

As well as Bundesliga, IMG looks after sports content archives for The Premier League, World Rugby, The Wimbledon Championships, the R&A (including The Open), DP World Tour, UFC, WWE, NWSL and Formula E.