Belgian football fans can breathe a sigh of relief: after days of confusion and legal manoeuvring, DAZN has confirmed that it will broadcast all Jupiler Pro League matches this weekend.
The announcement comes in the midst of an increasingly bitter confrontation between the streaming platform and the Pro League over the collapse of their broadcasting contract.
A sudden break in a billion-euro partnership
The crisis began earlier this week when DAZN abruptly terminated its multi-year deal with the Pro League, citing an "untenable financial situation" and invoking Belgian law to justify the immediate rupture. The move stunned league officials, who said they learned of the decision through the press.
Lorin Parys, CEO of the Pro League, condemned the unilateral termination as "completely unreasonable," noting that the five-year contract – worth around half a billion euros – was meant to guarantee stability for clubs.
DAZN cameraman is seen before a soccer match between Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and Club Brugge KV, Sunday 20 July 2025 in Brussels. Credit: Belga / Virginie Lefour
The underlying issue appears to be DAZN’s failure to secure distribution agreements with Belgian telecom operators such as Proximus and Telenet. The Pro League insists that these agreements were essential to the contract.
Emergency arbitration in motion
In response to the shock termination, the Pro League filed an urgent arbitration request with the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation, requesting DAZN to be forced to honour its contractual duties until a ruling on the merits is issued. Such procedures, however, "generally last several weeks," DAZN noted in its own statement.
Despite the ongoing dispute, DAZN said Thursday evening that it had already offered to continue broadcasting all matches until the end of the season, and that the Pro League had requested it do so.
The platform stressed that this temporary continuation "does not affect the legal position of either party."
Consumer protection launches an investigation
The uncertainty surrounding the broadcasts has drawn political attention. Federal Minister for Consumer Protection Rob Beenders (Vooruit) opened an investigation into DAZN on Thursday, accusing the company of a lack of transparency toward subscribers.
Former Pro league CEO Garry Cook pictured ahead of the transport of the Jupiler Pro League trophy by helicopter, from Lint, Sunday 04 June 2023. Credit: Belga
"Supporters deserve honest and transparent information," Beenders said. "The persistent uncertainty is causing legitimate concern." The minister said he had asked DAZN to confirm whether subscribers would be able to watch matches for the remainder of the season, but received no clear answer.
Fans spared a blackout - for now
Before DAZN’s confirmation on Thursday, Belgian football was facing the real prospect of a weekend TV blackout, which would also have affected VAR operations.
Without broadcast cameras, officials would have been limited to fixed stadium angles for offside checks only, an unprecedented situation in the Pro League.
For now, the crisis has been temporarily defused. DAZN will air matchday 16, including the one that took place last night: Mechelen - Standard de Liège.
But the legal and financial battle is far from over. With emergency arbitration underway, a consumer-protection investigation in progress, and a multi-million-euro contract hanging in the balance, the future of Belgian football broadcasting remains uncertain.
