
<p>ESPN’s opening weekend of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season has two added bonuses. In addition to every game all season long being available on <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPN+</a> (per usual), there’s big news. Saturday’s Borussia Dortmund versus Köln match is also on ABC and ESPN Deportes. Plus, as we <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/bundesliga-fans-wishes-come-true-espn-launches-whip-around-show-20230804-WST-447818.html">first reported</a>, this Saturday will see the launch of the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/bundesliga-fans-wishes-come-true-espn-launches-whip-around-show-20230804-WST-447818.html">Bundesliga’s whip-around show on ESPN+</a> (as verified by ESPN’s own schedules).</p>



<p>Ranked as the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/mls-ranked-29th-strongest-league-in-the-world-per-opta-20230815-WST-450215.html">second strongest soccer league in the world</a>, there’s an extra bounce in the step of the 61st Bundesliga season this year. Just last week, Bayern Munich broke the Bundesliga transfer record by <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/harry-kane-salary-bayern-munich-20230811-WST-449392.html">signing Harry Kane for more than $110 million</a>. Meanwhile, last season was one of the best in recent memory with so many storylines capturing the attention of fans.</p>



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<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="KANE to BUNDESLIGA: Can ESPN move the NEEDLE? #fcbayern #harrykane" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QcwvB9ryGh4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
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<h2>Bundesliga game on ABC</h2>



<p>Having a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/bundesliga-tv-schedule/">Bundesliga</a> game on ABC is always a treat.</p>



<p>However, it’s not very unusual for ESPN to elevate a Bundesliga game to ABC. For instance, April’s Der Klassiker between Dortmund and Bayern Munich and Dortmund was televised on the ABC network. That match averaged an impressive 624,000 viewers in the United States. Ultimately, Bayern won the match 4-2, and went on to win the Bundesliga in the final seconds of the season.</p>



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<p>ABC also televised Der Klassiker in 2021 and 2022. What is uncommon is for a game to feature a team other than Bayern Munich on ABC. Let’s hope Borussia Dortmund and Köln, who both have aspirations of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League this season, can create an exciting game.</p>



<p>Saturday’s Dortmund-Köln game, which is on ABC, ESPN Deportes and <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPN+</a>, will feature lead commentator Derek Rae on the call. Kickoff time is scheduled for 12:30PM ET / 9:30AM PT. In player news, unfortunately US Men’s National Team star midfielder Gio Reyna is still out of the Dortmund squad and is likely to miss the game due to a foot injury.</p>



<p>All of the other Bundesliga matches are on ESPN+ including Friday’s season opener between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich.</p>



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<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="ARCHIE RHIND-TUTT INTERVIEW: #Bundesliga master interviewer 🇩🇪" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-IVmxN8cWc4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
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<p><em>Photo credit: IMAGO / Norbert Schmidt</em></p>


Bundesliga opening weekend features bonus of game on ABC

For the opening weekend of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season, ESPN will have a big match on ABC network for viewers in the U.S.

Bundesliga opening weekend features bonus of game on ABC - World Soccer Talk


<p>ABC and ESPN+ will have live coverage of one of the highlight fixtures of the opening weekend of the 2023/24 <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/la-liga-tv-schedule/">LaLiga</a> campaign as Real Madrid travels to Athletic Club. Last season’s runner-up in league play is again one of the favorites. Now, Americans that have access to OTA channel ABC can watch <em>Los Blancos </em>face off against another historic Spanish side. </p>



<p>ESPN is no stranger to airing games in LaLiga or the Bundesliga on ABC. For example, ESPN kicked off its coverage of LaLiga with <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/disney-confirms-espn-acquisition-of-laliga-rights-in-major-broadcast-deal-20210513-CMS-333873.html">a new rights deal</a> by <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/barcelona-to-air-on-abc-tv-during-opening-laliga-weekend-of-espns-8-year-deal-20210722-CMS-340424.html">airing Barcelona on ABC in 2021</a>. At times, this coverage also included live studios from either Camp Nou or the Santiago Bernabeu.</p>



<p>This is yet another instance of LaLiga on ABC. Real Madrid, which won LaLiga in 2021/22, is hunting for a return to dominance domestically. The only trophy the club won last season was the Copa del Rey. To be fair, though, that was Real Madrid’s first time winning the Spanish cup competition since 2013/14. The club’s opponent on this Saturday’s kickoff, Athletic Club, had been to three Copa del Rey Finals in the time since Real Madrid’s last appearance in that game.</p>



<p>Athletic Club poses an interesting challenge for Real Madrid. Last season, the Basque club finished eighth in LaLiga, missing out on Europe. In the Copa del Rey, Athletic Bilbao reached another semifinal. However, an extra time loss to Osasuna made the club miss out on a third final in four years.</p>



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<h2>Real Madrid and Athletic Club on ABC is part of change for ESPN</h2>



<p>In addition to putting this game on ABC, ESPN is doing more to promote LaLiga. After a summer tour in the United States and Mexico, all LaLiga games over the first few weeks of the season are available on <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/channels/espn-deportes/">ESPN Deportes</a>. Clearly, LaLiga and ESPN have a hope to build on the vast population of Spanish-speaking Americans that watch soccer.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire</em></p>


ABC and ESPN+ will cover the highlight of the opening slate of the 2023/24 campaign as Real Madrid travels to Athletic Club.

ABC to air Real Madrid's LaLiga opener against Athletic Club


<p>Disney CEO Bob Iger has revealed that the massive media conglomerate may soon sell their broadcast television assets. This would obviously include traditional network TV channel <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/channels/abc/">ABC</a>. Iger announced the news on Thursday morning during an interview with CNBC. </p>



<p>The business executive just received a two-year contract extension with Disney earlier in the week. Iger previously served as president of ABC during the 1990s and then transitioned to his current role. After serving as CEO of Disney for 15 years, Iger left to take another position with the company. However, he returned to the role in the fall of 2022.</p>



<h2>Disney exec admits company needs changes</h2>



<p>Iger acknowledged on Thursday that Disney has issues with their traditional television channels. “After coming back, I realized the company is facing a lot of challenges, some of them self inflicted,” Iger <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/13/disney-ceo-iger-opens-door-to-unloading-tv-assets.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">explained</a> on CNBC.</p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">crazy thinking back to the months leading up to Disney+ debuting during a year when the studio was raking in billions and their new streaming service was being written as the thing that would make them unbeatable forever but it’s screwed their finances so much.</p>— Blake ™ (@NeilNevins) <a href="https://twitter.com/NeilNevins/status/1678384192755757056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Disney currently owns a plethora of TV channels. This includes broadcast networks such as ABC, as well as cable television channels like <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/channels/espn-soccer-schedule/">ESPN</a>. Although Iger did not exactly come out and directly say that these networks are for sale, he did reveal that the company will be “expansive” in how they think about the channels.</p>



<h2>Cord-cutting killing traditional network TV</h2>



<p>As a successful businessman, Iger also realizes the impact of cord-cutting. Traditional television is rapidly decreasing. Instead, streaming and digital content has steadily risen in recent years. This obviously heavily impacts linear networks such as ABC.</p>



<p>ESPN is, however, fairly different from ABC. The massive sports network is also experiencing a downward trend, but it still holds significant value. Nevertheless, Iger did also admit during the interview with CNBC that a joint venture with another business partner for ESPN is possible in the near future.</p>



<p>Assuming Disney parts with ABC, this would most likely signify an end to soccer on the network. The traditional channel is currently in over 95% of American households and has aired many soccer matches in the past. This includes FIFA World Cup tournaments, Euro Championships, and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/mls-tv-schedule/">Major League Soccer</a>.</p>



<p>Photo credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto</p>


Disney CEO Bob Iger has revealed that the company may sell traditional television network ABC in the near future

Disney open to selling TV assets, which could include ABC


<p>Bayern Munich against Dortmund is coming to ABC television, according to World Soccer Talk sources.</p>



<p>Also known as the “German Clásico,” April 1st’s Der Klassiker between <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/bayern-munich-tv-schedule/">Bayern Munich</a> and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/borussia-dortmund-tv-schedule/">Borussia Dortmund</a> is on ABC and <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPN+</a>. The over-the-air free television network broadcasts the highly-anticipated game. It may end up being a game that could help decide the eventual Bundesliga champion.</p>



<p>Scheduled to kick off at 12:30PM ET, this is the second year in a row that Der Klassiker is on ABC. Last April, the game was on ABC and ESPN+, like this year. This past October’s game between the two German giants was on ESPN+ only.</p>



<h2>Bayern Munich vs Dortmund on ABC</h2>



<p>So far for the 2022/23 season, it’s been a very competitive <a href="https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bundesliga</a>. FC Union Berlin were <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/can-union-berlin-overthrow-bayern-munich-to-win-the-title-20230220-WST-420496.html">recently in the title race</a>. But after some poor form, the team has stumbled. Hence, it has allowed Borussia Dortmund to leapfrog them. Currently, both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are tied on points at the top of the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/bundesliga-tv-schedule/">Bundesliga</a> table.</p>



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<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Derek Rae interview: SHOW &apos;N&apos; TELL" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wnK4D0dy6mE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
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<p>On Saturday, April 1st, Der Klassiker will be in competition with other games played at the same time. For instance, Chelsea faces Aston Villa in a game live on NBC and <a href="https://imp.i305175.net/c/330866/1313913/11640" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Peacock</a>.</p>



<p>To stay on track of all of the games, World Soccer Talk offers several resources. That includes a free <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/email-newsletter/">daily email newsletter</a>. It includes the latest news as well as links to the latest TV and streaming schedules.</p>



<p>Courtesy of World Soccer Talk,&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/ultimate-soccer-tv-streaming-guide/">download a complimentary copy of The Ultimate Soccer TV And Streaming Guide</a>, which features details on where to watch all of the leagues from around the world on US TV and streaming.</p>



<p>To find out when soccer games are on, download the free&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2020/12/26/soccer-tv-schedules-app-making-it-easier-to-watch-soccer-games-on-tv/">Soccer TV Schedules App</a>&nbsp;which includes listings of all of the live soccer matches available in the United States (available on&nbsp;<a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/soccer-tv-schedules/id1543713555" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple iOS devices</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.worldsoccertalk.SoccerTV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Android devices</a>).</p>



<p><em>(Photo: IMAGO / Kirchner-Media)</em></p>


April's giant clash between Bayern Munich and Dortmund is going to air on ABC television, according to World Soccer Talk sources.

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