Bundesliga CEO Steffen Merkel on German football's €6bn business

About this episode

Steffen Merkel discusses the Bundesliga's record revenues and media rights strategy in a conversation with George Breare.

In this special episode recorded at SportsInnovation 2026, SportsPro's George Breare returns to the hosting seat for a conversation with Steffen Merkel , chief executive of German soccer's DFL. Shortly after signing a contract extension until 2029, Merkel discusses what's driving the Bundesliga's record €6.33bn revenues and outlines the league's media rights strategy both at home and abroad. There’s also a deep dive into how the DFL is approaching AI and emerging technologies, the impact of Harry Kane and other international stars, and why maintaining authenticity remains a key priority for the Bundesliga as the game evolves. We'd love to hear what you think. 📩 Got questions for future episodes?Email us at: editor@sportspromedia.com🎧 Don’t forget to check out SportsPro’s other podcasts: StreamTime Sports, Mics Out, and New Era.OUR SOCIALS:Newsletter: https://www.sportspro.com/account/registration/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4vDHloCVsAdKJusUtVRnCd?si=TX8jJO6dR7qyzALZfQv2bQInstagram: https://instagram.com/sportspro.mediaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sportspro-media/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportspromediaStreamTime Sports: @SportsProNick #SportsPro…

People in this episode

Host: George Breare

Guest: Steffen Merkel

Topics covered

• Bundesliga
• German football
• media rights
• AI in sports
• international stars
• business strategy

Keywords

• Bundesliga
• Steffen Merkel
• media rights
• AI
• Harry Kane
• German football
• business strategy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: DFL, Bundesliga

Products: AI

Places: Germany

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