Deutsche Telekom and the German soccer league have reached an agreement on the use of the license for the next three seasons: Deutsche Telekom will make consistent use of its rights to create an excellent range of IPTV-based soccer programming for the fans. Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), the German soccer league, accepts Deutsche Telekom's view of the legal situation, that the rights the company has acquired includes cable, terrestrial and satellite transmission. Deutsche Telekom will not use these secondary rights, however. Deutsche Telekom and DFL therefore held negotiations, the result of which is a decrease in the license fee to reflect the fact that Deutsche Telekom does not make full use of its rights. Deutsche Telekom will be a premium partner of the German soccer league from the start of the 2006/2007 season. In a visual display of this partnership, the company's logo will be printed on the sleeves of the jerseys of the 36 clubs of the first and second German soccer leagues, for example, as well as on the substitution boards. In addition, Deutsche Telekom has an option to continue its sponsorship of the league, initially for the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 seasons, with a further extension option. Deutsche Telekom has therefore sealed its cooperation with the DFL for the long term.

"This agreement fulfills everything Deutsche Telekom aimed to achieve with the negotiations," said Walter Raizner, member of Deutsche Telekom AG's Board of Management responsible for the Broadband/Fixed Network strategic business area.

"The premium partnership we have just agreed is an important step in the further development of professional German soccer. We see it as the foundation for cooperation in the interest of the fans, the league and our partner, Deutsche Telekom, also with a view of innovative technologies," DFL President Werner Hackmann elaborated.

Deutsche Telekom's activities for the games of the first and second soccer leagues in future will be focused on live transmissions and post-match reporting via T-Com's high-speed network. Existing agreements between Deutsche Telekom and the broadcaster Premiere are unaffected by the conjoint agreement between DFL and Deutsche Telekom. As such, this arrangement does not impose any restrictions on marketing with Premiere as the broadcaster.

"The agreements reached by Deutsche Telekom and DFL on naming and transmission rights are a real hat-trick for German soccer. Deutsche Telekom will now integrate the cooperation with the German soccer league, together with the partnership with Premiere, as a central element of its network strategy," emphasized Walter Raizner. Deutsche Telekom is a strong partner for the German soccer league for successfully shaping the future of the league, while Deutsche Telekom will benefit from the broad interest of many soccer fans and viewers. At the same time, the agreement on transmission paths lays the foundation for the future-oriented development of market structures.

Deutsche Telekom is developing a new market for innovative multimedia services based on the new high-speed network. An important element of these services is the transmission of television formats on the basis of IPTV (IP, Internet Protocol). Transmission of programming for the games of the first and second German soccer leagues is a cornerstone of such television services in the future.

"Our long-term cooperation with the DFL combines the strengths of two successful top brands - the German soccer league and Deutsche Telekom," said Walter Raizner. "Our investment in top-flight soccer is a major to boosting the performance of the German soccer league, making the games even more attractive for the fans."