MUNICH. On August 23rd, the time has finally come: German champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen open the new Bundesliga season and begin their mission of defending their title. Meanwhile, for the second year in a row, the BMW Group is enabling its customers to watch Bundesliga football in their cars. BMW AG has signed a corresponding agreement with the German Football League (DFL).
The Bundesliga in-car app was successfully tested last season and will be available again from August 2024 to May 2025. BMW customers whose vehicles are equipped with BMW Operating System 8.5 and 9* can now fully enjoy the stadium atmosphere. This option is available to more than 500,000 vehicles on the road.
The Bundesliga’s in-car app offers on-demand highlight clips and selected live broadcasts. The app was made available for the first time during the Supercup match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart on August 17. This year, only BMW customers were able to watch the Supercup content on their in-car entertainment system.
“We are delighted to offer our customers a unique football experience directly in their car. With the integration of the Bundesliga app, fans in the DACH region can watch a full Bundesliga match every two weeks with German commentary, and three matches internationally with English commentary,” said Bernd Kerber, Senior Vice President BMW Brand and Product Management. “In addition, weekly highlight clips can be viewed on-demand in the app. Offering our customers an exceptional digital experience is particularly important to us. Our close partnership with the DFL and the seamless integration of the app into the vehicle are a further important step in this regard.”
“The successful pilot phase shows that football fans also enjoy watching Bundesliga matches in their cars. The continuous improvement of the immersive experience through technological developments in in-car entertainment systems and the growing need for relevant, emotive content confirm that this pilot project is in line with market trends. We look forward to continuing positive developments of the idea,” says Dr. Roman Schade, Head of Audiovisual Rights at DFL DACH.
Of particular note, while most cars must watch Bundesliga matches while stationary for safety reasons, 7 Series customers can use the BMW Personal Pilot L3 in Germany to enjoy football content in the driver’s seat while traveling at speeds of up to 60 km/h. On-demand content can also be played as an audio stream while driving. The Bundesliga in-car app will be further developed throughout the upcoming season.
*BMW Operating System 8.5: in combination with BMW Connected Package Professional (not available for BMW 2 Series Coupe, 3 Series, 4 Series)
BMW Operating System 9: In conjunction with BMW Digital Premium