 | |
| Industry |
|
|---|---|
| Founded | 1 January 2008  |
| Founder | Lucas von Cranach |
| Headquarters | Greifswalder Straße 212, Berlin, Germany |
Key people |
|
| Website | onefootball onefootball |
OneFootball is a German platform-based football media company. The OneFootball app features live-scores, statistics and news[1] from 200 leagues in 12 different languages covered by a newsroom located in Berlin.[2] In 2019, OneFootball partnered up with Eleven Sports to have the rights to stream directly on the app La Liga in UK[3] and with Sky to transmit 2. Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal matches in Germany.[4] In 2020, OneFootball bought club-founded video forum Dugout. Speaking of the deal to Bloomberg, OneFootball CEO Lucas von Cranach said that the move will "benefit the whole football ecosystem with clubs, federations and leagues able to increase audience reach and harness our powerful data insights to gain a deeper understanding of their fans' engagement as the rise of advertising means they need to know as much as possible".[5]
The company was founded under the name Motain by Lucas Von Cranach in 2013.[6] In 2009, Von Cranach launched iLiga (THE football app abroad).[7] Following a move to the new HQ in Berlin, Motain and its products (iLiga and THE football app) were merged under the name of OneFootball.[8] On 7 September 2016 OneFootball was featured in the Apple keynote in San Francisco for the release of watchOS 3.[9] The management team, which included Silke Kuisle as CFO,[10] expanded in 2018 with the arrival of the ex-Puma CEO, Franz Koch, as the new COO and the SPORT1MEDIA ex-CEO Patrick Fischer, as the new CBO.[11] On 15 December 2020, the company took over Dugout, a multimedia forum founded by a host of Europe's biggest clubs, for reportedly more than $61 million.[12] In May 2022 OneFootball raised €300 million in a series D financing round led by Liberty City Ventures and included participation from Animoca Brands, Dapper Labs, DAH Beteiligungs GmbH, Quiet Capital, RIT Capital Partners, Senator Investment Group and Alsara Investment Group.[13]
Seven months after raising more than $300 million in NFT funds, the company made three waves of layoffs. [14] The first wave, comes after the termination of the partnership with the application Spitch, a football fantasy app. The end of this partnership will result in the dismissal of 10 employees in November 2022. A month later, the company repeats with 62 new employees laid off. [15] In early 2023, a new wave of dismissals arrived with 150 employees laid off. [16] Some rumours mention problems of management and discrimination affecting the mental health of employees. [17] In total, the company will have reduced its workforce by 40% in 4 months. In August 2023, a new wave of redundancies - the 4th in less than a year took place at OneFootball. The company is reducing its workforce to 250 employees. This comes just 1 year after an astronomical fund-raising of over 300 million dollars. [18]
In recent months, the Labor Court has become a focal point for legal disputes involving OneFootball, the digital football platform. Former employees have brought forth a series of cases alleging unfair treatment and contract breaches [19] These legal battles highlight broader concerns about workplace ethics and employee rights within the tech industry. As the cases unfold, they serve as a reminder of the importance of transparency and fairness in employment practices, while also raising questions about the treatment of workers in fast-paced startup environments.
The decision to terminate the AERA project in June 2023 related to OneFootball has sparked lot of bad reactions on social media, especially regarding accusations of scams involving NFTs. Some fans of the platform expressed their dissatisfaction by openly accusing OneFootball of being involved in a scam.[20] CEO Lucas Von Cranach explained 1 year ago "We are creating an accessible experience for Serie A fans - by being a true platform - they can own digital video moments through us and take them wherever they want - or nowhere - they are theirs, in perpetuity. As members of the community, fans will enjoy even more benefits as we expand our Web3 offering and launch other products". The promised expansion did not last, as the platform has been shut down since June 2023.
The OneFootball app seems to have faced substantial criticism from users, particularly concerning the streaming of matches. Many users have perceived it as a potential scam by the company due to persistent issues.
Users have reported poor stream quality, with frequent interruptions and no responses to their emails from the service provider. This has led to significant dissatisfaction with the overall experience, reinforcing the perception that the company was not delivering what it promised.
One user noted that despite the app itself being well-designed, the purchasable games had constant problems. Instead of receiving refunds for these issues, users received only friendly apologies. After experiencing frustration with about 20 games, this user, along with many friends who had similar experiences, advised against using the app, believing it to be a scam. [21]
Another user encountered deceptive practices, such as being redirected to another service or having a subscription initiated without proper notification. They felt this was a scam and considered reporting it to the police. [22]
Additionally, a user who streamed a football match for the first and last time on OneFootball reported facing interruptions every four minutes for advertisements. "For a fee of €4.99", the user was disconnected from the ongoing game and redirected to an advertisement block, after which they had to reconnect to the game. This frequent disruption was seen as a method that drove away customers through unfair business practices. The user strongly advised against using the app, labeling the practice as unscrupulous business conduct. [23]
If such issues were widespread, it would have led to a general perception among users that the OneFootball app operated in a deceptive and untrustworthy manner, particularly concerning the streaming of matches, potentially damaging the company's reputation.
In 2024, the OneFootball app is rated by users 1,8⁄5 
[24] on the trustpilot.com website.
| Competition | Country | Territorial Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Bundesliga |  Germany
|
Rights in Brazil |
| 2. Bundesliga | ||
| DFL-Supercup | ||
| DFB-Pokal | Rights outside of Germany | |
| Danish Superliga |  Denmark
|
Rights outside of Denmark |
| Úrvalsdeild karla |  Iceland
|
Rights outside of Iceland |
| Kazakhstan Premier League |  Kazakhstan
|
Rights outside of Kazakhstan |
| Latvian Higher League |  Latvia
|
Rights outside of Baltics |
| NIFL Premiership |  Northern Ireland
|
Rights outside of UK |
| Eliteserien |  Norway
|
Rights outside of Norway |
| Ekstraklasa |  Poland
|
Rights outside of Poland (other selected territories are excluded) |
| Swiss Super League |  Switzerland
|
Rights in Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany and Austria |
| Slovak Fortuna Liga |  Slovakia
|
Rights outside of Slovakia |
| Austrian Bundesliga |  Austria
|
Rights outside of Austria (other selected territories are excluded) |
| K League 1 |  South Korea
|
Rights outside of South Korea (other selected territories are excluded) |
| AFC Champions League Elite | Asia | Rights in UK, Spain, Asia, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, MENA (excluding Israel), South Africa, Latin America (including Brazil), Netherlands, Italy, Malta and San Marino. [25] |
| AFC Champions League Two | ||
| AFC Challenge League | ||
| UEFA Champions League | Europe | Live and Highlights on the App and on the website by OneFootball in the outside of the Europe. |
| UEFA Europa League | ||
| UEFA Europa Conference League | ||
| CONMEBOL Libertadores | South America | Live and Highlights on the App and on the website by OneFootball in the outside of the Latin America. |
| CONMEBOL Sudamericana | ||
| CONMEBOL Recopa | ||
| Serie A |  Italy
|
Live and Highlights on the App and on the website by OneFootball in the outside of the Italy. |
| Liga 1 |  Indonesia
|
Rights outside of Indonesia (excluding Israel and Oceania) |
| AFC Asian Cup | Asia | Rights outside of the Asia |
| Saudi Professional League |  Saudi Arabia
|
Rights outside of the Saudi Arabia |
| Indian Super League |  India
|
Rights outside of Indian Subcontinent |
| J1 League |  Japan
|
Rights in Southeast Asia and Brazil |
| J2 League | ||
| J3 League | ||
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série A |  Brazil
|
Rights in Japan and Southeast Asia |
| Competition | Country | Territorial Availability |
|---|---|---|
| La Liga |  Spain
|
Highlights in UK via Premier Sports |
| DFB-Pokal | Germany
|
PPV rights in UK via Premier Sports[26] |
| Liga Portugal |  Portugal
|
PPV rights in UK via Premier Sports |
| Serie B | Italy
|
PPV rights in Italy and US via Helbiz |
| Serie C | PPV rights in selected international markets outside of Italy via Eleven Sports | |
| Coppa Italia Serie C | PPV rights in selected international markets outside of Italy via Eleven Sports | |
| Campionato Primavera 1 | Rights in Italy via Sportitalia | |
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | Brazil
|
PPV rights in Brazil via Casimiro. Highlights in Brazil via Grupo Globo Rights in Italy via Sportitalia[27] Rights in Japan via Abema |
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série B | Rights in Brazil via Rede Bandeirantes. Rights in Japan via Abema | |
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série C | Group stage PPV rights in Brazil via NSports | |
| Campeonato Carioca | Rights in Brazil via ESPN | |
| Campeonato Paranaense | PPV rights in Brazil via NSports | |
| Campeonato Catarinense | ||
| Primera División de Argentina |  Argentina
|
Rights in Italy via Sportitalia Rights in Asia via SPOTV |
| Premier League |  England
|
Rights in Indonesia via SCM (Emtek) |
| 2027 AFC Asian Cup | Saudi Arabia
|
Rights in Brazil via Grupo Band, RedeTV!, ESPN |
| J1 League | Japan
| |
| J2 League | ||
| J3 League |
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