Overview
- RTL will air Hamburger SV v Eintracht Frankfurt and ZDF will show Borussia Dortmund v Werder Bremen on Tuesday with ARD scheduled to broadcast Bayern Munich v 1. FC Magdeburg on Wednesday.
- Sky retains the season‑long live rights and will carry the remaining second‑round fixtures and all 63 DFB‑Pokal matches behind its pay service.
- Matches will also stream across platforms: RTL+ will carry HSV v Frankfurt, the ZDF‑Mediathek will stream BVB v Werder, WOW offers live pay streams of the tournament, and DAZN will post highlights on demand.
- Sporting context could shape outcomes as both Hamburg and Frankfurt arrive in poor league form and HSV face injury absences while Bayern’s tie presents a classic top‑team versus underdog matchup.
- The mix of free broadcasts and pay streaming widens short‑term access for fans but keeps most games behind a paywall, a split that could influence viewing patterns and subscription choices through the Achtelfinale on 1–2 December.