German Soccer League Scouting for Tech Investments, Says Bundesliga Exec

The German national soccer league, the Bundesliga, is scouting for investments in companies creating innovative technologies that can be used in the soccer industry, said Steffen Merkel, head of corporate strategy at DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH, which is responsible for the organization and marketing of the Bundesliga.

Merkel spoke Tuesday at Calcalist’s WeTechBerlin conference, held in collaboration with real estate company Aroundtown Property Holdings PLC, Bank Leumi, one of Israel’s two largest banks, its digital banking subsidiary LeumiTech Ltd., accounting firm KPMG, and European investment fund Target Global.

With 150,000 broadcast hours of soccer, the Bundesliga has the largest game archive in the world and is looking for technologies in the fields of broadcast and audience engagement, according to Merkel.