TV2 ends NFL broadcast contract early

Danish state-owned TV network TV2 has exited its broadcast coverage contract with American football’s NFL a year early.

TV2 had originally agreed to broadcast the NFL in Denmark on a three-year contract, in September 2022, but held an option to exit the contract after the second season, an option it has now exercised.

Frederik Lauesen, director of sport at TV2, has told news outlets in the country that the reason behind the exit from the contract lies with the broadcaster looking to save money by cutting back on its portfolio of sports rights.

The channel also broadcasts Sailing’s SailGP, multiple competitions of handball, NBA basketball, and badminton, among others.

Lauesen added that while viewership of the NFL had been solid across the first two years of the contract, that had not in turn led to any significant growth in subscriptions to the network’s TV2 Play over-the-top streaming service.

Furthermore, while the broadcaster’s NBA basketball contract allows it to pick and choose the best suite of games to broadcast, the NFL is the party that selects fixtures for coverage in its deal, which may have hampered viewer interest. Sportcal