Bundesliga CEO unhappy with FOX Sports coverage of league

Here is something to keep in mind as you watch soccer: the Bundesliga is unhappy with FOX Sports and its coverage of the league.

DFL CEO Christian Seifert is unhappy with FOX Soccer’s coverage of the German league, he admitted at the league’s headquarters in Frankfurt.

Seifert, who has held the position of CEO since 2005, is responsible for operating the Bundesliga, and was very involved in the recent media deal that will see the Bundesliga heading to ESPN+ beginning in August, 2020.

Even though the Bundesliga’s deal with FOX Sports doesn’t end until May 2020, Seifert didn’t hide his displeasure about the current rights-holder in the United States.

Bundesliga unhappy with FOX Sports

“I must admit, I was a little bit disappointed with FOX Sports as a partner,” admitted Seifert. “[Because of FOX Sports], it’s hard as a US Bundesliga fan to get used to the Bundesliga if you play one time on that channel and one time on [another] channel and then again on that channel,” Seifert told World Soccer Talk.

SEE MORE: Winners and losers of Bundesliga switching from FOX to ESPN+

Among fans of Bundesliga clubs in the United States, many are frustrated with the lack of consistency from the FOX Sports TV channel. Sometimes games are on FS2. Other weeks they’re on FS1. Overall, there’s no consistency in the broadcasting times. From the outside looking in, it appears that FOX Sports is treating the Bundesliga as filler, only scheduling games on FS1 when there’s no other programming available from other sports that it has the rights to.

Seifert, who has a background in the media industry having worked previously at MTV and MGM Media Group, said that he sees the Premier League and Netflix as the Bundesliga’s biggest competitors. Seifert also sees the Bundesliga and DFL as a sports entertainment company.