Telekom AG to bid for Bundesliga TV rights to bars

In what could be further bad news for German company Premiere AG, Telekom AG reportedly will make a bid for the rights to broadcast Bundesliga matches in sports bars.

The move was reported by German daily newspaper Handelsblatt citing sources close to the negotiations. When questioned by the newspaper, Telekom declined to comment.

If Telekom wins the sports bar TV rights, it would deal another blow to Premiere, which holds Pay-TV rights for the current season, and has held them since 1999. In December, Premiere lost out on TV rights for the Bundesliga for the next three seasons to Unity Media’s Arena unit. Bids for the sports bar TV rights are due by March 31, with a decision expected in April.