DAZN Forced to Continue Belgian Football Broadcasts After Arbitration

Brussels has seen some real drama off the pitch. DAZN will keep broadcasting Belgian Pro League matches. This decision comes after emergency arbitration proceedings. The streaming giant had actually tried to exit its deal.

Arbitration Forces DAZN to Uphold Broadcasts

So, DAZN announced last month it couldn’t fulfill its contract. They said Belgian law gave them no choice. It was all about distribution. They just couldn’t sort out deals with local telecom operators. This really upset the Pro League. The league accused DAZN of ending things unilaterally.

But now, an emergency arbitrator from CEPANI has stepped in. The ruling makes it clear. DAZN has to continue producing and broadcasting Pro League content. This is for the entire current season. DAZN can’t talk about the decision’s specifics, though. Apparently, it’s confidential stuff. But they did confirm the broadcasts are on.

Lorin Parys, CEO of the Pro League, was pretty happy. He said the ruling means a lot. “The winners of this ruling are our fans, our clubs and Belgian football as a whole,” he declared. You can find more details on the Pro League official website.

The Heart of the Dispute: Distribution Woes

This isn’t just a simple contract dispute. Massimo D’Amario, CEO of DAZN Belgium, spoke out. He explained that these interim measures don’t judge DAZN’s overall legal stand. DAZN still thinks its original contract ended lawfully. They expect a full arbitration panel to rule on this. And they want competition law looked at too.

The main problem? DAZN couldn’t get distribution agreements. They needed these with Belgian telecom operators. Without them, matches are only on the DAZN app. And DAZN says this isn’t financially sustainable. It’s a tricky spot for them.

A History of Rights Battles and Future Uncertainties

This isn’t DAZN’s first run-in over Belgian football rights. Back on December 19, 2024, the Belgian Court of Arbitration for Sport (BAS) made a big decision. It ruled in favor of Eleven Sports. That’s now part of DAZN Group. Telecom operator Proximus had challenged them. But the BAS rejected it. That ruling confirmed Eleven’s exclusive media rights for the 2024/25 season. This covered 28 live matches per matchday. Reuters reported on that earlier dispute.

Then, in December 2024, the league awarded DAZN the domestic media rights. This was for the 2025-2030 period. That deal was worth a lot. Like, at least 84.2 million euros per season. So DAZN trying to back out now? That’s about this big, new deal.

Currently, DAZN Eleven is continuing all scheduled broadcasts. They’ll keep going through the end of this season. That’s May 2026, it seems like. DAZN Belgium confirmed this. But what happens after that? Nobody really knows yet. The broader legal battle is still going on. So, fans will get their football for now. But the long-term future of Jupiler Pro League broadcasts still feels up in the air. You can read more details on the latest ruling from Yahoo Sports.