The World Chess Show Lands on Germany's Biggest Media Platform

World Chess has announced that The World Chess Show will begin airing across BILD's sports media platforms—a deal that brings the programme to Germany's most-read news brand and its 25 million monthly digital users.

The partnership adds BILD.de, SPORT BILD, and the broadcaster's 24/7 streaming channels to a distribution network that now spans more than 156 markets worldwide.

Why This Matters

For those keeping score at home: this is a business story as much as a chess one.

World Chess (LSE: CHSS) has spent years building what it calls a "media flywheel"—television exposure drives awareness, awareness drives players to worldchess.com, and platform growth drives revenue. The BILD deal is the latest turn of that wheel, and Germany is no small market to add.

The country has deep chess roots (think Lasker, Tarrasch, and a federation that's produced generations of strong players) combined with the economic heft to make broadcasters and sponsors pay attention. Getting chess onto BILD's sports platforms puts it alongside football highlights and Formula 1 coverage—exactly where World Chess has been arguing it belongs.

What Is The World Chess Show, Anyway?

Unlike tournament broadcasts aimed at dedicated fans, The World Chess Show is built for casual viewers—the millions who play chess but don't necessarily follow the competitive circuit. Think player profiles, behind-the-scenes access, and storytelling designed to make chess feel like the global sport it actually is.

The format has found traction: 156 markets is significant reach for any sports property, let alone chess, which has historically struggled to crack mainstream sports broadcasting despite having more players worldwide than most televised sports.

The Bigger Picture

"We built The World Chess Show to answer a simple question: why isn't chess on television the way football or tennis is?" said Ilya Merenzon, World Chess CEO, in the company's announcement to investors. "Chess has more than 600 million players worldwide—more than many other sports—yet it has been largely absent from mainstream sports broadcasting."

The BILD partnership suggests that argument is landing with broadcasters. Whether it translates to platform growth and, ultimately, returns for shareholders is the next question—but for now, chess just got a prime seat in one of Europe's most important media markets.