Axel Springer and Christian Seifert to launch new streaming platform, focusing on sports beyond football

Long-standing managing director of the German Football League (DFL), Christian Seifert, is working with Axel Springer on the joint development of a streaming platform tailored to the German market for sports league competitions and outstanding sports events. The launch has been set for fall 2023.

The goal of the joint venture is to attract the millions of German fans who are interested in sports and leagues other than football, and to offer them a new media platform that caters to their interests. To achieve this, the audiovisual rights of attractive sports leagues and sports events are to be bundled within one media offering.

By working to high-quality production standards and with intense marketing support, the new streaming portal aims to increase the awareness and interest in sports such as handball, basketball and ice-hockey. The offering is targeted directly at the end customers but will also be available via other existing platforms.

The startup’s founder is Christian Seifert, and Axel Springer has a majority holding in the new company. Seifert also maintains a significant holding and will act as managing partner. The top management team will also have a CEO and COO. The brand name of the planned OTT services is to be announced later in the year.

Christian Seifert, founder and managing partner of the new company, says, “Germany is a nation of sports fans, millions of whom are enthusiastic about types of sports beyond soccer. We want to offer this large sports community a new home, as it were, in our new streaming portal. To this end, we will be offering attractive cooperation opportunities to numerous sports leagues and associations. Axel Springer has always had a keen interest in the German sporting world and, thanks to its experience in the implementation of complex digital projects as well as its great strength in the marketing and distribution of digital offerings, is the ideal partner for this ambitious undertaking.”

Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer SE says, “Sport belongs to Axel Springer, and is an area we have committed to invest in more and achieve more growth in. We are now bringing together the strengths of Axel Springer as a media and tech company with the outstanding experience and proven capabilities of Christian Seifert. Our joint media enterprise offers our future partners a unique platform.”