sporta sportrechte- und marketing-agentur gmbh

What sporta sportrechte- und marketing-agentur gmbh does

SportA Sportrechte- und Marketing-Agentur GmbH is a Munich-based sports media rights agency that acquires media rights to national and international sporting events and sublicenses those rights to broadcasters and other media users. Founded in 1995 as a joint subsidiary of ARD and ZDF—Germany's two major public broadcasters—SportA serves as the centralized rights acquisition and distribution vehicle for its parent broadcasters, while also making rights available to qualified third-party sublicensees under EU/EBU-compliant rules monitored by an independent trustee.

The company operates an event management and rights portfolio platform covering 21 sports disciplines (including football, handball, athletics, swimming, skiing, biathlon, cycling, gymnastics, rowing, canoeing, and others) with long-standing relationships spanning more than 60 sports associations, event organizers, and agencies. Its portfolio includes rights to high-profile properties such as UEFA European Championship sublicensing, EHF European Championships (contracted through 2030), FIS World Cup events including the Four Hills Tournament, FINA European and World Aquatics Championships, FIG European and World Gymnastics Championships, and European Athletics Championships events including ISTAF Berlin. The company also holds national rights across badminton, table tennis, triathlon, parasport, equestrian, luge, bobsleigh, and figure skating.

SportA's revenue model is anchored in licensing royalties: it acquires rights from federations and sublicenses them to ARD, ZDF, ARD's nine regional channels (BR, HR, MDR, NDR, Radio Bremen, rbb, SR, SWR, WDR), and interested third-party media companies on a per-event or per-rights-package basis. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated individually rather than publicly disclosed. The company is managed by two Managing Directors, Marc Freyberger and Daniel von Busse, and is governed by a Board of Governors (Verwaltungsrat). Distribution occurs through direct sales relationships and a publicly accessible event calendar on sporta.de that catalogs available rights opportunities.

Name

sporta sportrechte- und marketing-agentur gmbh

Legal name

SportA Sportrechte- und Marketing-Agentur GmbH

Website

https://sporta.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SportA is a Munich-based sports rights agency, jointly owned by ARD and ZDF, that acquires media rights to national and international sporting events across 21 disciplines and sublicenses them to broadcasters and third-party media companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Media Rights

NAICS

Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Rights Agencies & Brokers (Acquisition/Packaging) (MPABAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports & Event Media Rights Licensing (MPADALAE), Sports Media Rights & Highlights Licensing (MPABANAE), Sponsorship & Sports Media Rights Buying (BPAFABAH)

Keywords

• Sports media rights
• Broadcasting rights licensing
• Sports rights agency
• Media rights sublicensing
• Sports marketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Media Rights Sublicensing: SportA acquires media rights to national and international sporting events from sports federations and organizations, then sublicenses these rights to broadcasters and media companies. Revenue is generated through sublicensing fees charged to third parties seeking to broadcast or stream sporting events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

SportA acquires media rights to national and international sporting events from sports federations, event organizers, and agencies, then sublicenses those rights to its shareholder broadcasters ARD and ZDF and to third-party media companies for linear TV, streaming, and digital exploitation. The company's portfolio covers 21 sports disciplines including football, handball, athletics, skiing, biathlon, swimming, cycling, gymnastics, and more.

Product overview

SportA is a sports rights agency operating as a unified platform that acquires and manages media rights to national and international sporting events. Founded in 1995 as a joint subsidiary of ARD and ZDF, SportA offers sublicensing rights to third parties through its comprehensive sports rights portfolio covering over 20 sports disciplines including athletics, swimming, skiing, cycling, gymnastics, rowing, canoeing, handball, football, and various winter sports. The portfolio spans both German national events and international competitions, with partnerships with more than 60 sports associations, event organizers, and agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sports Rights Sublicensing Portfolio Acquired media rights portfolio covering 21 sports disciplines (including football, handball, athletics, swimming, skiing, biathlon, cycling, gymnastics, and others) that SportA sublicenses to its shareholder broadcasters ARD and ZDF and to third-party broadcasters, streaming platforms, and commercial media companies for use across linear TV, streaming, and digital platforms.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ARD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorARD is the consortium of German public-service broadcasters and SportA's primary shareholder. SportA was founded in 1995 as a joint subsidiary of ARD and ZDF. SportA acquires media rights specifically for exploitation on all platforms of ARD & ZDF and ARD's regional channels.
• ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorZDF is Germany's second largest public broadcaster and co-founder of SportA alongside ARD. SportA acquires media rights specifically for exploitation on all platforms of ARD & ZDF and ARD's regional channels.
• Prof. Dr. Reto M. Hilty (Independent Trustee)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent trustee who monitors compliance with ARD/ZDF sublicensing rules and EBU sublicensing rules. Ensures fair and transparent rights distribution.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SPORTFIVE: SPORTFIVE (formerly Lagardère Sports) is a global sports rights agency that acquires and commercialises media rights on behalf of rights holders, federations, and broadcasters. Directly comparable to SportA in business model (rights acquisition + sublicensing to broadcasters) but operates at significantly larger scale across more sports and geographies.
• Infront Sports & Media: Infront is a Swiss-based sports marketing and media rights company (owned by Bridgepoint) that handles rights packaging, distribution, and marketing for major federations and events including FIFA, UEFA, and the Olympics. Direct competitor in the rights agency/intermediary space, with broader commercial scope than SportA.
• IMG (Endeavor): IMG, owned by Endeavor, is a global sports agency handling media rights, event management, licensing, and athlete representation. Comparable to SportA as a rights intermediary with multi-sport portfolio, though significantly broader in scope and scale.
• TEAM Marketing: TEAM Marketing (acquired by Infront) is a Swiss sports rights agency best known for centralising UEFA Champions League media rights. Highly comparable as a specialised rights broker serving European football, although its premium property (UCL) is materially more valuable than SportA's portfolio.
• Pitch International: Pitch International is a UK-based sports rights consultancy that advises federations and rights holders on media rights sales across multiple sports. Comparable to SportA as a rights advisory/intermediary, though smaller and more advisory-led rather than principal-style acquisition.

Broad incumbents

• Discovery / Eurosport: Eurosport (owned by Warner Bros. Discovery) is a pan-European sports broadcaster that licenses Olympic and multi-sport rights across the continent. A buyer-side counterpart to SportA's sublicensing business rather than a direct peer, but operates in the same sports rights value chain across many of the same disciplines (cycling, tennis, winter sports).
• DAZN: DAZN is a global sports streaming platform that increasingly acquires rights directly from federations and competes with traditional broadcasters. Comparable in that it is a major buyer of the type of sports rights SportA sublicenses, but operates a fundamentally different OTT distribution model rather than agency/intermediary.
• Eleven Sports: Eleven Sports is a global sports broadcaster operating OTT and linear channels across Europe and Asia. Acts as a potential sublicensee for SportA's international rights packages but is itself a buyer/distributor rather than a rights intermediary.

Others

• Deltatre: Deltatre is a sports media technology provider delivering OTT platforms, data, and graphics for sports broadcasters and federations. Adjacent rather than competitive to SportA — provides the technology infrastructure that SportA's sublicensees and federation partners rely on for distribution.

Regional players

• Bundesliga International: Bundesliga International is the global rights and commercial arm of the German Bundesliga, handling media rights sales worldwide. Comparable as a rights holder/seller in German sports, though from the league side rather than as an agency intermediary like SportA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sportrechte--und-marketing-agentur-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 →

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