Telefónica loses La Liga exclusivity


Details

Juan Fernandez Gonzalez

| 15 February 2016




After weeks of rumours, Spain's Mediapro has finally stated that the beIN Sports La Liga channel initially sold to Telefónica can be now resold to third-party pay-TV operators.



Probably the largest broadcasting rights conflict of the season has been resolved after Spain's Telefónica paid €2.4 billion for the Champions League and La Liga networks, with the result that the telco won't be able to air the content exclusively.

According to Jaume Roures, Mediapro's president, exclusivity was not stated in the initial agreement. Nevertheless, the interference of the Spanish market and competition authority (CNMC) may well have been behind Mediapro's current position.

The beIN Sports La Liga channel, which is to broadcast games from Spain's first and second football divisions and the Copa del Rey, will run for three consecutive seasons. The question is now, whether other telcos and operators have the money to pay for such a big package of broadcasting rights.

“Telefónica was the best offer. But when the CNMC said Telefónica should licence the content, everybody agreed. And now we're creating these licences,” stated Roures in an interview with El Mundo. “With Vodafone and Orange we're not talking about small companies. They would get football if they offer the right price. Nobody can force me to buy something for ten and sell it for five.”

Despite the speculation around the Mediapro/Telefónica deal, the CNMC hasn't yet revealed its official position, although it has repeatedly stated its intention of keeping competition within the audiovisual market and defending customers' best interests.