- ESPN+ to be the home of live Bundesliga coverage, with 300+ matches beginning September 18
- SC Featured Profiles Borussia Dortmund’s Giovanni “Gio” Reyna – Son of American Soccer Royalty
- ESPN FC Special: Top 50 Goals of 2019-2020 Season
- Bundesliga Specials and Segments Across ESPN Deportes Studio Programs
When the Bundesliga returns for its 58th season on Friday, Sept. 18, ESPN+ will be the home of live coverage in the U.S. and content from the league will appear across an array of ESPN media platforms. ESPN+ will stream more than 300 Bundesliga matches in English and Spanish during the German top-division league’s first season of a multi-year agreement. The company’s linear television platforms – ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN2 – will also feature select matches during the season.
Leading up to the season’s start, Bundesliga content and stories about players, teams, 2019-20 season highlights and fan culture, will be featured across the company’s English and Spanish studio programming including SportsCenter, soccer-endemic shows ESPN FC, Jorge Ramos y Su Banda, Ahora o Nunca, Fuera de Juego and more. Highlights include:
ESPN FC on ESPN+
ESPN FC, the daily soccer news program with highlights, analysis and information exclusive to ESPN+, will cover the Bundesliga throughout the season. It will begin its coverage of the 2020-21 Bundesliga season with ESPN FC Special: Top 50 Goals of 2019-20 Season on Thursday, Aug. 20. Host Dan Thomas and analyst Alejandro Moreno kick-start anticipation for the upcoming season by recapping the greatest goals from the past year. Following ESPN FC’s studio special, “Top 50 Goals of 2019-20 Season” will be available on ESPN+ beginning Friday. Additional content includes:
- Before Matchday 1 (Date: TBD), ESPN FC Bundesliga Preview Special will stream on the digital platform
- Interviews with players and managers, training camp reports, features, and more, will headline the show’s daily Bundesliga segments during the week leading up to the start of the season.
SC Featured Profiles Giovanni “Gio” Reyna (Sunday, Aug 30)
On Sunday, Aug. 30, ESPN flagship show SportsCenter will air its SC Featured profile of American player Gio Reyna, the 17-year-old American star who is beginning to make his mark at Borussia Dortmund. Reported by Sam Borden, the profile includes interviews with U.S. Men’s National Team manager Gregg Berhalter, Dortmund’s sporting director Michael Zorc and youth academy director Lars Ricken, as well as Gio’s parents, Daniele and Claudio Reyna. Trailer.
The younger Reyna joined Dortmund in 2019, after four years with his hometown academy team New York City FC. In January 2020, he became the youngest American to play in the Bundesliga entering the game as a substitute against FC Augsburg on January 18. Gio comes from a family of soccer royalty in the United States. His mother, Danielle, played for the U.S. Women’s National Team. His father, Claudio, is a former U.S. Men’s National Team captain who was named to the 2006 World Cup all-tournament team. SC Featured is ESPN SportsCenter’s award-winning storytelling brand.
ESPN Deportes
ESPN Deportes will provide comprehensive Spanish-language coverage of Bundesliga leading up to the start of the season across SportsCenter, Jorge Ramos y Su Banda and Ahora o Nunca. In addition, European soccer show Fuera de Juego will preview the 2020-2021 season with a special edition streaming live on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 7:30 p.m. ET, on ESPN+. Show hosts Fernando Palomo, Andrés Agulla, Barack Fever, Ricardo Ortiz, Alexis Martín Tamayo (Mister Chip) and Ricardo Puig join the action with exclusive news and analysis around the league.
ESPNDeportes.com will also present extensive lead up coverage, including exclusive online content, as well as comprehensive reporting from ESPN Deportes’ renowned soccer correspondents.
Archive of Bundesliga matches on ESPN+
The first batch of 10 classic Bundesliga matches will be available by 2020-21 season kickoff for on-demand streaming on ESPN+. The matches include Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, and other top clubs – all high-scoring contests that capture the league’s entertaining soccer pedigree. In all, 50 classic matches will be available on ESPN+.
The Initial 10 German Bundesliga Best Historic Matches on ESPN+:
| MATCH | SEASON AND MATCH DETAILS |
| FC Bayern Munich vs. SV Werder Bremen | 2003-04: A 1-3 home loss for Bayern |
| Borussia Dortmund vs. FC Bayern Munich | 2011-12: Robert Lewandowski’s goal propels Dortmund and manager Jürgen Klopp to their last Bundesliga title |
| FC Bayern Munich vs. Hamburger SV | 2012-13: Bayern’s highest-scoring match of the season, a 9-2 home victory over visiting Hamburger SV |
| Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Hertha Berlin | 2014-15: Frankfurt and Hertha Berlin play out a 4-4 draw in Frankfurt |
| FC Bayern Munich vs. VfL Wolfsburg | 2015-16: Lewandowski scores five goals in nine minutes to propel Bayern to 5-1 victory over Wolfsburg |
| Bayer Leverkusen vs. VfB Stuttgart | 2015-16: Leverkusen outscores Stuttgart in a 4-3 victory |
| Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen | 2016-17: Dortmund scores six goals en route to a home win (6-2) over Leverkusen |
| Bayer Leverkusen vs. VfL Wolfsburg | 2016-17: Mario Gomez scores a hat trick as Wolfsburg plays out a 3-3 draw at Leverkusen |
| RB Leipzig vs. FC Bayern Munich | 2016-17: A nine-goal fest sees Bayern earn a 5-4 victory at Leipzig |
| Borussia Dortmund vs. Schalke 04 | 2017-18: Dortmund and Schalke play out a 4-4 draw |
Digital Soccer Coverage
ESPN.com’s European-based soccer insiders Gab Marcotti and Tom Hamilton, along with reporter Stephan Uersfeld in Germany, lead the site’s news, match and feature coverage of the Bundesliga.
- Bundesliga interactive quiz – Which Bundesliga team do you support? ESPN’s quiz helps fans determine which team they should cheer for. Plus, key information about all the clubs;
- Gio Reyna: A Profile – The companion written piece to Sam Borden’s SC Featured profile of the emerging American soccer star;
- The Ultimate Viewers Guide – Preview and predictions for Bundesliga 2020-21;
- Data Viz illustrating why the Bundesliga delivers the most exciting football among Europe’s Big 5 leagues;
- The Many Myths of Erling Haaland – A closer look 20 year-old Norwegian born striker who is taking the Bundesliga by storm playing for Borussia Dortmund; and
- Spotlighting American players – This recurring, access-driven series features updates on the many American players. The Bundesliga has more Americans on team rosters than any of the top-four European leagues.
Bundesliga on ESPN+ Marketing Spot
ESPN/ESPN+ launched a Bundesliga on ESPN+ campaign to raise awareness among U.S. soccer fans about the league’s debut season on ESPN+. The anthem spot aired across ESPN platforms – ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, et al – during the 2020 German Cup Final on July 4. The Bundesliga on ESPN campaign will evolve as the season progresses, highlighting the excitement of German soccer – most goals per match average among the top-four leagues, home to top U.S. Men’s National Team prospects and the club traditions, as well as fan culture. The spot.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to 8.5 million subscribers, offering fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content.
With the upcoming debut of the German Bundesliga on ESPN platforms, ESPN+ will be home to the most comprehensive collection of live soccer available on one platform in the United States. Led by the Bundesliga, Serie A, the soccer portfolio on ESPN+ also includes the English FA Cup and Carabao Cup, Spanish Copa Del Rey, Eredivisie, Major League Soccer, EFL Championship, USL and more.
Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.
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