Germany's 3. Liga stays with MagentaSport until 2031 as TV income rises
Deutsche Telekom will keep showing all 380 third-division matches live. The German FA (DFB) called it the most lucrative rights tender in the league's history, with clubs set to earn more per season.
Symbolic image · Photo: Sir James / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Germany's 3. Liga will remain with Deutsche Telekom. The German Football Association (DFB) has again awarded the company exclusive live rights for the four seasons from 2027-28 to 2030-31. MagentaSport will continue to show all 380 league matches each season, as well as the two promotion-relegation play-off games into the 3. Liga. Telekom also holds free-to-air rights to 38 matches per season, which it can show itself or with a partner. The company will also be able to distribute highlights, individual scenes and clips more widely, including on social media.
According to specialist website liga3-online, annual media income will rise from 26.2 million euros to 31 million euros, an increase of almost 20 percent. DFB general secretary Holger Blask described it as the most commercially successful media rights tender in the history of the 3. Liga. Vice-president Peter Frymuth said the money would again be shared equally among first teams in the next cycle: "This gives the clubs planning security." Telekom TV chief Arnim Butzen called the extension a "strong signal to the market".
Other packages went to different partners: public broadcaster ARD keeps highlight rights for its Saturday Sportschau programme, while DAZN secured a separate highlights package. Digital short-form rights went to kicker and LEAGUES. Kick-off times remain unchanged. According to Telekom, the league's TV reach has grown sevenfold since the 2017-18 season.