Spanish watchdog calls for changes to football TV rights


Details

Juan Fernandez Gonzalez

| 06 November 2015





Spain's Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) is demanding a new model for distributing football broadcasting rights, specifically for La Liga.


CNMC is demanding transparency to protect the rights of viewers, as La Liga doesn't specify how the share of rights is decided and how the match schedules are organised.

The commission is also calling for more free-to-air (FTA) matches, particularly the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and one game of Real Madrid or Barcelona per week, which will affect Spain's most watched match, El Clásico.

In addition, it is asking La Liga to commercialise games and recaps within the same operation, so that all broadcasters can compete on equal terms in order to avoid conflict like that between Mediaset and the public network RTVE earlier this year.

Lastly, the CNMC wants the bid process to be changed, as it believes that higher financial offers take precedence over technical considerations. The commission wants it to be the other way round, and also wants La Liga to clearly specify the tender criteria.