Spain

The Mediapro agency and beIN Media Group have retained their hold on the rights to the Uefa Champions League club football competition in Spain, according to multiple reports.

The Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y La Competencia (CNMC), Spain’s competition regulator, has hit LaLiga, the organising body of Spanish club football, with a €250,000 ($280,000) fine after upholding a complaint lodged by commercial broadcaster Mediaset.

Chinese investment fund Orient Hontai is the remaining bidder in the race to acquire Imagina, the parent company of Spanish agency Mediapro, according to the El Español news service.

The Sina Sports division of Chinese internet operator Sina is to broadcast the final of the 2016-17 Liga ACB, the top division of basketball in Spain.

Spanish commercial broadcaster Mediaset has acquired rights to the latter stages of the ongoing edition of the French Open tennis grand slam, as Rafael Nadal seeks to secure a record 10th title on the clay at Roland-Garros.

Spanish police have today (Tuesday) arrested Sandro Rosell, former president of LaLiga football club Barcelona, in connection to an investigation regarding his business activities in Brazil.

The Mediapro agency has agreed a deal to return North American ice hockey league the NHL to Spanish television screens.

European football’s governing body Uefa has launched tender processes for broadcast rights to its Champions League and Europa League club competitions in Italy, Spain and Slovenia.

Spanish public-service broadcaster TVE has secured rights in the country for the America’s Cup sailing event.

Telecommunications company Telefónica has vowed to appeal after being ordered by Spain’s competitions regulator, the CNMC, to compensate rivals Telecable, Total Channel and Vodafone for apparent discrepancies in the amounts they paid for wholesale distribution of football channels.

Spanish commercial broadcaster Mediaset has acquired rights to national team events organised by the International Basketball Federation (Fiba).

Spanish public-service broadcaster TVE has signed a rights deal for events operated by the Spanish Badminton Federation and has renewed an agreement to produce and manage the worldwide live feed for coverage of the Conde de Godó ATP World Tour men’s tennis tournament in Barcelona.

UK production company Sunset+Vine has signed a three-year host broadcast partnership with Tie Break Tens, and has brokered an exclusive rights deal for the tennis series with media company UKTV.

Football’s English Premier League has stepped up its efforts to prevent piracy of its content by partnering with digital platform security specialist Irdeto.

Spanish agency Mediapro will invest more in esports after hailing 2016 as its “best ever year.”

Spain’s anti-trust regulator, the Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y La Competencia (CNMC), has opened an investigation into the Mediapro agency in relation to possible anti-competitive practices.