WOW, the streaming platform of the TV broadcaster “Sky”, will be the new naming partner of the Virtual Bundesliga. This is accompanied by an “extensive rights package” – including broadcasts
The broadcaster confirmed the future partnership in a press release on Monday morning, which also provided information on the extent of the cooperation. “With immediate effect, WOW will appear with a partner logo on all digital communication platforms of the WOW Virtual Bundesliga (VBL) as well as in the context of all offline events of the VBL and its competition parts,” was the logical consequence of the cooperation.
VBL in the “Sky” program?
More excitingly, the streaming provider has also secured rights that go beyond simply naming the competition. “Selected broadcasting segments and content formats of the eFootball competition organized by the DFL” will be presented by WOW in future, which follows the financial company bevestor as the league’s namesake.
So will the VBL match days be shown on WOW in future? Initially, the DFL will continue to focus “primarily on official VBL accounts on the social media and streaming platforms” and channels of the participating clubs, as a spokesperson for the German Football League told eSport. However, this could change in the future: “This expressly does not exclude linear or digital distribution on other platforms or channels.” In WOW, the company has ultimately found “a very suitable partner in the digital distribution of premium sport.”
Interface between gaming and live sport
Caterina Preti, Senior Vice President OTT at Sky Deutschland, emphasized that “gaming and eSports are highly relevant for our target group”, which is why WOW already offers “the right streaming content” for this target group. This includes series such as “The Last of Us” or “Halo”, which are based on video games. VBL will now serve as the interface to live sport, the main draw. “We will now make our WOW streaming offering even better known in the eSports segment. ”
The DFL’s Head of Virtual Bundesliga, Jörg Höflich, made a similar statement. “Sky” and WOW are partners “who have a very high affinity with soccer and are long-standing partners of the DFL”. It is precisely this combination of “target group and brand fit” that the DFL was “explicitly looking for” in the world of digital media offerings – and has now found it.
