Turkish pay-television operator Digiturk will retain the rights to the Super Lig, the top division of football in the country, through the 2016-17 season after the deal was approved by Turkey’s competition authority, Rekabet Kurumu.
In December 2012, Rekabet Kurumu launched an investigation into the extension of the deal between the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) and Digiturk. The original deal for live rights to the league, signed in January 2010, was for four years, 2010-11 to 2013-14, and was worth $321m (€256.8m) per season.
The authority said that on May 21 2012, the two parties agreed to a two-year extension of the deal, covering the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. The federation did not put the rights out to tender.
Digiturk said the authority has now approved the deal allowing it to retain the rights to the Super Lig, which it has held since 2001. Digiturk said the deal will be worth $450m per year.