Vodafone eyes Bundesliga rights

Vodafone Germany wants to considerably expand its IPTV platform Vodafone TV and as part of these plans, the telco is considering acquiring broadcast rights for the Bundesliga domestic football league. As Dhananjay Mirchandani, director home access & video, confirmed to industry publication "Horizont", the  target is to soon reach the mark of 200,000 customers. "We will win the second 100,000 customers more quickly than the first. Furthermore, we will be profitable in the forseeable future," said Mirchandani. At the end of 2011, slightly more than 100,000 households used the offering. In the movie package, which costs €14.95 per month, the channels Fox, Travel Channel and Romance TV will be added on 12 January 2012. Also, the number of HD channels will considerably increased. "This refers both to free-to-air channels and to the pay-TV segment," said Mirchandani. Vodafone also considers entering the bidding battle for the Bundesliga rights which have recently been put up for sale in a tender set up by domestic football league Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) for the seasons from 2013/14. "The demand is there. Therefore besides the collaboration with a rights holder the acquisition of a rights package is an option we seriously consider."