"Match Momentum" and Co.: How the DFL wants to bring more proximity to the game
As part of the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, the DFL unveiled the league's new media strategy. The focus will be on more extensive TV camera coverage and a new match fact.
With some innovations, the DFL aims to create even greater proximity to the protagonists. IMAGO/Beautiful Sports
What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch – this long-standing football maxim is increasingly becoming a thing of the past, at least in German professional football. "Even closer to the game" is the motto of the DFL, which was announced by DFL officials on the sidelines of the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup in Stuttgart as part of the now beginning rights period from 2025/26 to 2028/29. Soon, the momentum of a match can also be measured and visualized for fans.
"We want to get even closer to the protagonists""We want to get even closer to the protagonists on the pitch – without being voyeuristic," says Marcus Beisiegel, DFL Director of Audiovisual Rights and Media Products, regarding the league's new media focus. For example, before a match, the teams' journey from the hotel to the stadium will now be covered even more extensively by TV cameras – whether through announcers in the team locker room, interviews with players directly after the bus arrives at the stadium, or interviews with coaches or assistant coaches at halftime. This is an attempt to do justice to the different and increasingly diverse Bundesliga target groups and has now created an unprecedented breadth of Bundesliga offerings, says Beisiegel.
New Bundesliga Fact "Match Momentum"For statistics fans, the DFL offers 15 "Bundesliga Match Facts" based on millions of collected match data and with the help of artificial intelligence, such as xGoals (goal scoring probability), Pass Profile (passing decisions) and Speed Alarm (player speed).
And a 16th match fact will be added soon: "Match Momentum." This will measure live during the match which team is currently on the offensive and has the momentum. For this purpose, various data such as the team's share of possession in the generic half, shots on goal, set pieces, and possession are evaluated and visualized at five-minute intervals. "This offers fans real added value," says Bastian Zuber, Managing Director of DFL Digital Sports, who is responsible for match facts.
The analysis of match momentum is particularly helpful when analyzing a match—for example, when determining when a team should have scored after a match. The technology is expected to be deployed starting on the fourth matchday of the Bundesliga.
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