Mediapro fined €500,000 for football rights abuse

Iñaki Ferreras | 22-03-2011

Spain's Comisión Nacional de la Competencia-CNC (The Competition National Commission) has fined laSexta's producer Mediapro €500,000 for abusing its dominant position by building up an obstacle the competition in the market of reselling of sporting rights of the Spanish Football League (La Liga) and the King's Cup (La Copa del Rey).

The fine has also includes transgressions in other audiovisual markets especially pay-TV one. In May 2009 the Commission accused Mediapro of configuring different packages of licences for TV broadcasting of football matches and magazines of the League and the King's Cup in Spain for the seasons 2009/2010 and 2011/2012.

The producer had also invited several TV broadcasters to present their respective offerings in a short term. Later Prisa TV's pay-TV operator Digital+ reported Mediapro to the authorities because it was denied the rights to show matches from the League and the King’s Cup in the ppv model for Spain.

The CNC considers Mediapro's contracts with those operators as not transparent and at the same time putting an obstacle to the competition in the market of reselling of football rights and in the market of reselling rights for pay-TV.

According to the CNC Mediapro has "artificially" forced the creation of a competition advantage for its football pay-TV channel Gol TV.