The Bundesliga just landed a major U.S. media upgrade. Versant’s USA Sports and NBCUniversal’s Telemundo now share its broadcast rights.
What We Know: USA Sports becomes the exclusive English-language Bundesliga home in 2026-2027, airing at least 30 matches. The remaining matches will stream free on Fandango. Meanwhile, Telemundo becomes the exclusive Spanish-language home, airing 100-plus matches on Telemundo and Universo, with everything on Peacock. Together, the deals push Bundesliga’s reach past 80 million U.S. homes, replacing its longtime ESPN and ESPN+ deal.
What They Said: Robin Austermann, Bundesliga Americas Executive Vice President: “These partnerships with USA Sports and Telemundo mark the next phase of our strategy, combining outstanding distribution with significant commercial opportunity and bringing the Bundesliga closer to more fans across the United States than ever before. We are excited to work with ambitious partners who are helping shape the future of sports media. Together, Versant and Telemundo will strengthen the Bundesliga’s presence across English and Spanish, linear television and streaming, helping us reach fans wherever they choose to engage with the league.”
Matt Hong, President, USA Sports: “The Bundesliga boasts some of the most well-known clubs and players in the world. It has an established connection with American soccer fans. Our partnership with the Bundesliga represents another significant milestone in the growth of USA Sports as we continue to build a premier destination for live sports and deliver more of the events fans care about most.”
Joaquin Duro, EVP of Sports and Head of Streaming, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises: “The Bundesliga represents one of the premier soccer leagues in the world. We’re excited to bring its clubs, players and rivalries to Hispanic audiences in the U.S. This partnership strengthens our year-round soccer portfolio and reinforces our commitment to delivering the world’s biggest competitions in Spanish with the quality, storytelling and passion our audiences expect from Telemundo.”
What Remains Unclear: The release doesn’t disclose financial terms for either agreement. It’s also unclear how many of Telemundo’s 100-plus matches will air on Universo versus the main network. Additionally, Fandango’s ad-supported streaming model marks new territory for live sports, and its performance remains untested.
What It Means: Ultimately, this signals soccer’s expanding footprint in the U.S. following the success of the 2026 World Cup. For Versant, the Bundesliga adds to a growing sports portfolio that already includes the WNBA, PGA of America and Pac-12. For Telemundo, it deepens a year-round Spanish-language soccer lineup anchored by the Premier League and Liga MX. Overall, both companies are betting that global soccer fandom keeps growing stateside.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.