The Argentinian government has spent about ARS$4 billion (€700 million/$880 million) on its ‘fútbol para todos’ (‘football for everyone’) scheme to show domestic league matches on free-to-air television since the introduction of the initiative in 2009, according to La Nacion.
The Asociación del Fútbol Argentino, the Argentinian football association, agreed a 10-year deal, from 2009-10 to 2018-19, with the government for rights covering the top two divisions in the country.
State-owned channel Canal 7 shows the biggest games from the top division, while rights for other matches are sublicensed to other free-to-air broadcasters, Canal 13 and Telefe.
The ‘football for everyone’ scheme was credited with helping Argentinian president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner secure re-election in 2011.