Versant bets on Bundesliga to launch Fandango as free streaming platform

Versant Media has relaunched its Fandango streaming service as a free, ad-supported platform, securing a five-year deal to broadcast more than 300 Bundesliga soccer matches.

The rebranded service drops the "At Home" moniker to compete directly with Tubi, Pluto and the Roku Channel. Backed by a new "We love free" marketing campaign, the platform will feature 3,500 hours of programming drawn from Versant’s cable networks, which include SyFy, E! and Oxygen, rather than focusing solely on movie ticket sales and premium digital downloads.

The Bundesliga rights, split between the FAST platform and USA Network, mark a strategic pivot to free sports broadcasting. “You don’t need a paid account to stream the games,” said Matthew Hong, USA Sports President. “You’ll be able to watch multiple hundreds of Bundesliga matches in a way I can’t imagine could be any easier.” This contrasts directly with the subscription models of Major League Soccer on Apple TV and additional English Premier League matches on Peacock, which remained with Comcast after Versant spun out earlier this year.

The acquisition targets surging US interest in soccer following record World Cup viewership. Both the Bundesliga and the EPL, where Versant already holds a partnership, begin their 2026-27 seasons in late August. “It’s been hugely beneficial for us,” Hong said of the EPL deal. “European soccer and soccer generally is up and to the right in the United States.”

For investors, the strategy is an attempt to monetize Fandango’s existing traffic of 50 million monthly visitors. By building a proprietary streaming ecosystem, Versant can sell advertisements, cross-promote its linear networks, and capture viewer data that might otherwise flow to manufacturer-operated platforms from Samsung, LG and Walmart-owned Vizio.

Combining live sports with news programming from CNBC and MS Now mirrors the profitable news-and-sports formula employed by Fox. While Hong acknowledged that skyrocketing NFL rights are out of Versant’s budget, the company intends to acquire additional sports properties. “Everything else is fair game,” he said. “We are on the lookout for deals.”