CVC, Blackstone Among Bidders for German Football Media Rights
- Bundesliga struggling to compete with English Premier League
- League abandoned earlier process to attract private equity
Photographer: Sven Hoppe/AFP/Getty Images
CVC, Blackstone, and EQT are among the private equity groups that submitted bids for a stake in the media rights business of the Bundesliga — Germany’s main football competition.
The three private equity firms, as well as KKR and Advent International, are bidding for a 12.5% stake, according to sources familiar with the process who asked not to be identified. The unit will manage the domestic and international broadcasting rights of the top 36 professional football teams in the country, including Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The investors were asked to bid for 20 to 30 years of rights, two of the people said.