Spain

Spanish agency Mediapro has said it will open a tender for domestic rights to the Uefa Champions League and Europa League next month, as Vodafone España became the latest telco to express its unease at the cost of agreeing carriage deals for club football in the country.

Spanish telco Telefónica has threatened to forgo renewing its contract with the Mediapro agency to broadcast the Uefa Champions League club football competition, with chief operating officer Ángel Vilá criticising the “exuberance and excess” in the sports rights market.

Imagina, parent company of the Mediapro agency, and Orient Hontai Capital have formally sealed a deal through which the Chinese private equity firm will acquire a majority stake in the Spanish media group.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has said the organisation which oversees the top two divisions of Spanish club football will convert its LaLigaTV service into an OTT platform in August, with the new product to offer sports content aside from football.

Spain’s anti-trust regulator, the Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y La Competencia (CNMC), has closed an investigation into Mediapro in relation to possible anti-competitive practices concerning the beIN Sports and beIN LaLiga pay-television channels marketed by the agency.

Chinese investment fund Orient Hontai has ratified a deal to acquire a controlling stake in Imagina, the parent company of the Mediapro agency, according to Spanish newspaper El Confidencial.

Sports and betting-related services company Sportradar has been named as the official international media rights distribution partner of eFootball.Pro, an esports company founded by Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué.

The IMG agency has agreed a deal to sell and distribute the media rights to LaLiga, the top tier of Spanish club football, in 12 European countries.

Increased exclusivity encouraged telco Telefónica to maintain its fee to renew Formula One media rights in Spain this month despite a dearth of competition.

Spanish broadcaster Mediaset has agreed to resume coverage of the Copa del Rey domestic club football competition after reaching a fresh agreement with the Mediapro agency.

Movistar Plus, the pay-television platform of Spanish telco Telefónica, has extended rights in the country for the Formula One motor-racing world championship.

Social media platform Twitter has agreed a deal to live stream games from the Liga Femenina, the top division of Spanish women’s club basketball.

Movistar Plus, the pay-television platform of Spanish telco Telefónica, has renewed rights in the country for the Formula One motor-racing world championship, according to news service El Español.

Barcelona earned the biggest television rights payment in LaLiga last season despite rival Real Madrid winning the title.

BeIN Media Group has claimed the “most ambitious” football offering in the Spanish market after agreeing a carriage deal for its OTT service with the Movistar Partidazo pay-television channel of telco Telefónica.

Spanish broadcaster Mediaset will not broadcast its proposed matches from the Copa del Rey amid a dispute over its rights deal with the Mediapro agency.