Premier League: "The Bundesliga [cannot] sell its rights for that much money" (C. Seifert)

"If you look at the German TV market, it will not be possible any time soon for the Bundesliga to sell its rights for that much money," said Christian Seifert, CEO of the DFL (German Professional Football League), following the sale of the 2016-2019 audiovisual rights to the Premier League to the groups Sky and BT for €2.3bn per season, an increase of 70.2% compared to the amount paid by the two groups for the 2013- 2016 cycle.

"We need to have an honest discussion about it: Are we prepared to head towards unpopular options in order to make sure that we can still attract the world's best players to the Bundesliga? This is a challenge for our league, for the DFL and for the clubs, which we have to confront," said Christian Seifert.

Reasons often given to explain the relatively small sums paid for the domestic audiovisual rights to the Bundesliga include the lack of competition in the German TV market and the lack of range of broadcasting slots compared to other major European leagues as well as the length of the winter break in the middle of a peak period for TV audiences.