DAZN, Telenet, Proximus submit bids for domestic Pro League rights

A trio of broadcasters have submitted offers for domestic rights to Belgian men’s soccer’s top-tier Pro League for the next five seasons, it has been reported.

With the deadline for first-round bids having passed at the end of October, Belgian media has now reported that so far, bids have been submitted by DAZN (incumbent rights-holder), Telenet, and Proximus.

It has also been reported that all offers so far are for less than the value of the 16-team Pro League’s current deal with DAZN (which GlobalData Sport has recorded as being worth the equivalent of $109.6 million per season).

Orange and Voo, two other potential buyers of the rights, are understood to have backed away from putting in offers, meanwhile.

The Pro League went to market with a tender for the five seasons between 2025 and 2030 on September 9 – initially with a deadline of October 16, before a two-week extension was put in place – and is being strategically supported through the process by the heavyweight IMG agency.

The 16-team Pro League’s domestic and international rights are currently held by global sports streaming service DAZN – which acquired previous rights-holder Eleven Sports in 2023 – in a five-year deal running through the 2024-25 season. Eleven tapped sports agency Mediapro to distribute international rights in partnership with the league.

In total, eight rights packages are available for purchase – three specifically for the Pro League (others cover the second-tier Challenger Pro League and various domestic cup competitions).

A new development in this tender is that the packages are platform-neutral, meaning they cover both linear and streaming rights.

So far in the 2024-25 Pro League season, Genk sit top of the table after 14 games.

In terms of other league activity, mid-September saw the Pro League extend its partnership with WSC Sports, the sports-focused AI-powered video content provider. Sportcal