German television broadcaster Sport1 will close its pay-TV channels Sport1+ and eSports1 at the end of 2024. Sportdigital will continue the channels from 1 January 2025 under the new names Sportdigital1+ and eSportsONE on the existing distribution platforms. The Hamburg-based media company agreed with Sport1 on the continuation of the contracts required to continue operating the pay-TV business model established by Sport1. Financial details were not disclosed.
Sportdigital already operates pay-TV channels Sportdigital Fußball and Sportdigital Edge. The planned launch on 1 January 2025 is still subject to the approval of the responsible media authority. In the meantime, Sportdigital intends to work closely with Sport1.
Sportdigital1+ plans to continue showing sports like Major League Baseball (MLB), rugby (National Rugby League, Australian Football League, Betfred Super League), motorsports (NASCAR Cup Series) and ice hockey (Swedish Hockey League). In addition, football competitions such as the South American CONMEBOL Libertadores (Copa Libertadores) and the Asian AFC Champions League (One and Two) as well as the Belgian Jupiler Pro League will remain part of the schedule.
eSportsONE will continue to focus on national and international eSports in the areas of strategy (DOTA2, Starcraft II), shooters (Counterstrike) and sports (EA FC25) as well as additional content (e.g. Fortnite and mobile games).
Gisbert Wundram, Managing Director of Sportdigital, said: “The expansion of our pay-TV activities in the sports sector and the associated expansion of our Sportdigital programme portfolio in German-speaking countries is a very important milestone in our company’s history, which we are delighted about. We would like to thank the Sport1 management and its shareholders for their trust and will thus continue to develop the pay-TV business with our proven ‘Sportdigital philosophy’ in order to inspire even more people beyond soccer for the live sports we curate in the future!”
Andreas Gerhardt, Chief Distribution Officer and Lead Pay-TV at Sport1, added: “We are very pleased to have found the perfect partner for our pay-TV channels, their content and distribution platforms in Sportdigital. After a long and successful journey since 2010, the time has come to develop the channels elsewhere. As part of the repositioning, we believe that the operation of pay-TV channels is better suited to our partner Sportdigital. Sportdigital will continue to develop the two channels and offer them strong prospects for the future. At the same time, the transaction will enable Sport1 to focus on its core business areas of free-TV and digital channels, so that we can continue offering the audience a wide range of sports and entertainment content.”
The discontinuation of the pay-TV business follows the closure of Sport1’s subscription streaming platform Sport1 Extra in May 2024. Turkish media company Acunmedya acquired a 50% stake in Sport1 earlier this year as part of a strategic alliance, leading to a streamlining of the business.