Pro League and DAZN end legal war, secure Belgian football broadcasts until 2030 with reduced TV money

A dispute that threatened the league

The conflict began in November 2025, when DAZN denounced the contract it had won barely a year earlier. The British streaming service had outbid rivals for the rights to Belgian professional football from 2025–26 through 2029–30, agreeing to pay around €84.2 million per season. DAZN later argued the deal was economically unviable after it failed to reach distribution agreements with Belgian telecom operators Telenet and Proximus, a condition written into the contract. What followed was months of legal wrangling and public acrimony that, according to the Pro League, damaged the image of the professional game among supporters, viewers and advertisers.

The path to a settlement

Over the spring and summer the two sides edged towards each other. DAZN initially offered to pay only 60% of the agreed sum, roughly €50.4 million per season. In June the Belgian arbitration centre CEPANI imposed a provisional measure ordering the streamer to pay 85%, or about €71.4 million. That ruling, combined with the clubs’ fear that a prolonged legal battle could fracture the league and jeopardise the next rights cycle starting in 2030, pushed both parties into direct talks. On 29 July 2026, a week before the new season, they announced a settlement. The exact financial terms are confidential, but the clubs have accepted less television revenue than the original contract promised.

Les supporters peuvent être rassurés : un accord a été conclu jusqu’en 2030. Grâce à cet accord, la Pro League et DAZN mettent fin à une période d’incertitude et peuvent à nouveau se tourner vers l’avenir.

What the deal means for fans

The agreement guarantees that Belgian professional football will be available on all major Flemish platforms. DAZN has already signed distribution deals with Proximus, Telenet and Orange, and budget brand Mobile Vikings, a Proximus subsidiary, is joining the line-up this week. The league’s new branding, unveiled on Wednesday, will now roll out against a backdrop of stability rather than courtroom drama. Pro League CEO Lorin Parys said the unanimous vote of the clubs for a negotiated solution was a personal victory, and that the organisation can now direct all its energy towards strong competitions and a high-quality football experience.

Financial concessions and cost-cutting

While the precise new fee remains secret, the direction of travel is clear: clubs will receive less than the €84.2 million originally foreseen. DAZN is also trimming its own costs. On Tuesday it emerged that the streamer had sold exclusive Flemish rights for the Belgian Cup to Telenet’s Play Sports, sparing itself the expense of producing those broadcasts. Further sublicensing deals are possible. The earlier provisional CEPANI figure of €71.4 million offers a rough benchmark, but the final number is almost certainly lower, given the clubs’ willingness to trade income for certainty.

Women’s football and the season ahead

One unresolved question concerns the women’s game. Sources within women’s football clubs have said that DAZN’s highlights programme for the women’s league is set to disappear. DAZN neither confirmed nor denied the report, stating only that it will have news about women’s football soon. The men’s competition, meanwhile, begins on Friday 31 July with the Super Cup between Club Brugge and Union, a fixture that Parys cited as the starting gun for a season now free of the uncertainty that hung over the last one.

Nous sommes ravis de pouvoir à nouveau envisager l’avenir avec confiance, aux côtés de la Pro League et des clubs. Le football est au cœur de notre activité et notre objectif est clair : offrir aux supporters la meilleure expérience visuelle possible, où, quand et comment ils souhaitent regarder le football.

Looking beyond 2030

The settlement runs to the end of the original contract in 2030. By then the league hopes to have rebuilt its commercial appeal after a bruising period. Parys stressed that the agreement allows both parties to look forward with a shared ambition: increasing the impact and visibility of Belgian professional competitions and creating sustainable value for fans, clubs and sponsors across the country. The next rights cycle, starting in 2030, will test whether that ambition has been realised.