NFL/Germany: early termination of contract with DAZN, matches to be shown on NFL Game Pass and RTL

The National Football League has prematurely terminated its contract with DAZN for the broadcasting of the North American league in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), according to German newspaper Bild on 02/03/2026, a report later confirmed by several German media outlets.

DAZN had initially extended its exclusive media rights to the NFL for these territories over the 2023-2027 period in September 2022. However, the League held a unilateral break clause after three seasons, which it has now exercised ahead of the start of the 2026 season (scheduled on 10/09).

The German group RTL Deutschland will remain the free-to-air broadcaster of 80 games per season. No agreement with a new pay-TV broadcaster for the NFL’s premium rights has been announced by the league as of 04/03/2026.

Games previously broadcast by DAZN will continue to be available on the NFL Game Pass (DtoC service) exclusively distributed by the OTT platform under a global partnership running from 2023 to 2033. Subscriptions to NFL Game Pass on DAZN have increased by 24% in 2025, said the British streaming…