Colombian pay-television broadcasters Telefόnica, Une and Telmex had their latest joint bid to acquire rights for the country’s top football league, Liga Postobon, rejected by the División Mayor del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano (Dimayor), the body responsible for the top two tiers.
According to El Tiempo, the Dimayor rejected an improved bid of $70 million (€55 million), for the five seasons from 2012 to 2016, from the coalition of broadcasters at a meeting on Tuesday. The newspaper said the broadcasters had previously bid $50 million.
More than three million pay-television subscribers – about 80 per cent of the pay-television market in the country – will miss out on coverage of the league if a deal is not reached before the start of the new season next month.
In May 2011, the Dimayor sold non-exclusive rights for the next five seasons to pay-television broadcaster DirecTV. It is offering the same rights to Telefόnica, Une and Telmex at a price linked to their number of subscribers.
David Londoño, representing the coalition of broadcasters, told the W Radio station: “We want Dimayor to reconsider. We are presenting a super-generous offer that is four or five times higher than the previous contract.”
Dimayor president Ramón Jesurum said: “The structure of our television business has changed. We now do our own production and it is of the highest quality. We are willing to sit down and negotiate with everyone.”