RheinStars Basketball GmbH

What RheinStars Basketball GmbH does

RheinStars Basketball GmbH operates the professional basketball team RheinStars Köln, competing in the BARMER 2. Basketball Bundesliga ProA — the second tier of German professional basketball. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Cologne, the entity is a private German limited liability company (GmbH, HRB 73644) with eight employees and Managing Directors Stephan Baeck (Sport) and Tibor Taras (Finance and Organisation). The professional team plays home games at Motorworld Köln under a three-season anchor tenant agreement starting in 2025/2026, following a seven-year absence from ProA.

The business is structured around matchday revenue streams: (1) consumer ticketing via Eventim Sports, (2) corporate hospitality and VIP packages (~100 guests per home game), (3) corporate business ticket programs, (4) livestreaming on sporteurope.tv with 80% revenue retention to clubs across tiered passes (€5.99 single game to €189.99 all-access), and (5) merchandise sales through an online shop. Sponsorship revenue is anchored by Flossbach von Storch (naming partner of Basketball Campus Köln), Jamestown, BARMER (league title sponsor), Wilson, and Motorworld Köln. A separate non-profit entity, SG RheinStars Köln e.V., operates the amateur/youth side including NBBL (U19) and JBBL (U16) teams, school programs, and the Basketball Campus Köln training facility, providing a youth-to-pro talent pipeline that feeds the professional roster.

The organization does not offer a software product and operates a conventional event-driven sports business model with no AI/ML capabilities. Mid-season leadership changes (Headcoach Zoran Kukic replacing Stephan Baeck in October 2025; Athletiktrainer Mauriz Golka replacing Jorgo Chatzidiamanidis in July 2026) and the 2025 ProA re-entry mark the current operating phase.

Name

RheinStars Basketball GmbH

Legal name

RheinStars Basketball GmbH

Website

https://rheinstars-koeln.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RheinStars Basketball GmbH operates the professional RheinStars Köln basketball team in Germany's BARMER 2. Basketball Bundesliga ProA, generating revenue from matchday ticketing, corporate hospitality, streaming, merchandise, and sponsorships for fans and corporate clients in Cologne.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports Team Operations

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Individual-Sport Clubs & Teams (Cycling Teams, Athletics/Track Clubs, Swimming Clubs, etc.) (MPAKABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Team & League Branded Merchandise Retail (Non-Apparel) (CRAMAOAF), Licensing, Merchandising & Co-Branded Products (Sponsored Merchandise, Collabs) (MPAKALAE)

Keywords

• Professional basketball team
• Sports entertainment services
• Basketball game ticketing
• Sports merchandise sales
• Corporate hospitality events

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from home game admissions at Motorworld Köln, including single-game tickets and season ticket packages. Ticket sales facilitated through Eventim Sports platform.
2. Streaming & Pay-Per-View: Livestreaming of games via sporteurope.tv with pay-per-view model. Various pass options including single game, game day pass, team pass, and all-access seasonal pass. 80% of streaming revenue goes directly to clubs.
3. Merchandise Sales: Online merchandise store selling jerseys, caps, scarves, hoodies, socks, pins, stickers, mugs, and other fan merchandise.
4. Hospitality Services: VIP hospitality packages including exclusive VIP area access, buffet catering, courtside seats, parking, and post-game press conferences for corporate clients and business partners.
5. Corporate Business Tickets: Corporate ticket packages for businesses to entertain employees and clients, with dedicated account management, print@Home tickets, and merchandise discounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

RheinStars Basketball GmbH operates a professional men's basketball team competing in the BARMER 2. Basketball Bundesliga ProA, the second tier of German professional basketball. Around the professional team, the organization sells home-game tickets, corporate hospitality and business ticket packages, official merchandise via an online shop, and offers pay-per-view and subscription livestreaming of games through sporteurope.tv. It also runs youth development programs (NBBL/JBBL) and a training facility, the Basketball Campus Köln.

Product overview

RheinStars Basketball GmbH operates as a professional basketball organization with a multi-layered product portfolio anchored by its ProA men's team competing in the BARMER 2. Basketball Bundesliga. The club complements its professional team with youth development through NBBL and JBBL programs housed at the Basketball Campus Köln, a court booking service, an online merchandise shop, event ticketing, and hospitality/corporate ticket packages. Livestreaming of games is delivered through sporteurope.tv. The organization does not offer a software or technology product in the traditional SaaS sense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ProA Professional Basketball Team The professional men's basketball team competing in the BARMER 2. Basketball Bundesliga ProA, the second tier of German professional basketball, playing home games at Motorworld Köln in Cologne.
• Youth Basketball Programs (NBBL/JBBL) Youth basketball development teams — NBBL (Nachwuchs Basketball Bundesliga, U19) and JBBL (Jugend Basketball Bundesliga, U16) — providing a talent development pipeline into the professional ProA team.
• Basketball Campus Köln Training and youth development facility operated in partnership with Flossbach von Storch, serving as the home base for professional and youth team training.
• Book-a-Court Court booking service allowing external users to rent basketball courts at the Basketball Campus Köln.
• Online Merchandise Shop E-commerce platform selling official RheinStars merchandise including caps, scarves, hoodies, t-shirts, jerseys, mugs, socks, pins, and sticker sheets, with prices ranging from €3.00 (pin) to €59.95 (jersey).
• Home Game Ticketing Ticketing service for home games at Motorworld Köln, offered via Eventim Sports and direct sales channels, including single-game and season ticket packages.
• VIP Hospitality Packages VIP hospitality experience for corporate clients including exclusive VIP-area access, catered buffet, courtside seats, parking, post-game press conference and VIP talk, accommodating approximately 100 guests per game.
• Business / Corporate Ticket Packages Corporate ticket package allowing companies to entertain employees and clients at home games, with dedicated account management, print@home delivery, and a 10% merchandise discount.
• Livestreaming Passes (sporteurope.tv) Pay-per-view and subscription-based livestreaming of ProA games via sporteurope.tv, offering single-game passes (€5.99), game-day passes (€9.99), away passes (€89.99), team passes (€109.99), regular season passes (€129.99), all-access passes (€189.99 or €15.49/month), and commercial broadcast licenses (€49.99 per game). 80% of streaming revenue is returned to the clubs.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Flossbach von StorchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2025Naming sponsor of Basketball Campus Köln where the team conducts training operations. Primary youth partner supporting the youth development program and campus facilities.
• JamestowncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner supporting RheinStars Köln operations as shown in partner logo section of website.
• BARMER (Barmer Ersatzkasse)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTitle sponsor of 2. Basketball Bundesliga ProA league. Produces and sponsors official league communications and streaming content.
• sporteurope.tvcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial streaming platform for ProA games. Clubs produce and exclusively stream games on the platform. 80% of streaming revenue goes directly to clubs. Various pass models offered for fans.
• WilsonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial ball supplier for basketball equipment as indicated by Wilson logo on website.
• Motorworld KölncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent venue serving as home arena for professional games. RheinStars are anchor tenant for a three-season agreement at the historic Butzweiler Hof location.
• Allianz Kölner SportminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSports alliance network including major Cologne sports clubs (1. FC Köln, Kölner Haie, Fortuna Köln, Viktoria Köln) working together on city sports development initiatives and political engagement.
• Eventim SportscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial ticketing platform partner for online ticket sales and box office operations for home games.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• VfL Kirchheim Knights: A direct peer in the BARMER 2. Basketball Bundesliga ProA. RheinStars' first ProA win of the 2025/2026 season came against Kirchheim (87:74), and both clubs compete in the same 18-team league for similar fan bases, sponsors, and league media revenue.
• Rasta Vechta: ProA basketball club with a similar multi-stream business model (matchday, sponsorship, academy). Comparable in operational structure to RheinStars' Basketball Campus model and a relevant benchmark for league-level economics.
• Bayer Giants Leverkusen: German basketball club (currently ProB) that produced RheinStars' current athletic trainer Mauriz Golka. Operates a similar youth-to-pro development pipeline at a historically strong but lower-tier professional level — directly comparable in operating model.
• Artland Dragons: ProA basketball club with comparable regional-sports positioning and a similar mix of gate receipts, sponsorships, and youth development. Relevant peer for assessing the same competitive and commercial dynamics RheinStars face in the ProA.
• Eisbären Bremerhaven: ProA basketball team with comparable revenues and footprint, also listed in the 18-team ProA standings alongside RheinStars. Direct competitor for league-wide sponsorship, streaming audience, and second-tier German basketball talent.
• Phoenix Hagen: ProA basketball club operating in a comparable German regional market with a similar mid-sized venue and corporate sponsorship mix. Direct comparison for ticket pricing, hospitality packages, and local-market sponsorship economics.
• Rostock Seawolves: ProA basketball club with similar mid-sized-market positioning and a comparable youth-academy-driven growth strategy. Direct peer for benchmarking commercial KPI trajectories at the ProA level.
• Tigers Tübingen: Direct peer in ProA basketball, with a comparable revenue model (tickets, sponsorship, merchandise, streaming) and similar regional-tier operational scale. Both clubs compete head-to-head in the same league for match-day revenue and league-wide sponsorship allocation.

Broad incumbents

• Hamburg Towers: Israeli-owned first-tier Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) club in a major German city. Relevant broader incumbent for understanding the BBL tier RheinStars would need to reach for step-change revenue, media rights, and sponsorship levels.
• MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg: Established BBL club with strong corporate sponsorship (MHP, Porsche ecosystem) and a multi-stream model comparable to RheinStars' aspiration. Useful precedent for how a German basketball club can scale sponsorship and corporate hospitality revenue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RheinStarsKoeln
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC60qVxDNx4toeGr_eRSNsSg
• Facebookfacebook.com/RheinstarsKoeln
• Instagraminstagram.com/rheinstarskoeln
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rheinstars-basketball-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RheinStars Basketball GmbH