Ecuadorian commercial broadcaster Ecuavisa has succeeded in halting a centralised sales process for the rights to Serie A and Serie B, the country’s top two football divisions, that was launched by the Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol, the Ecuadorian football federation.
At a civil court hearing, Judge Carlos Valverde ordered the federation to discontinue a centralised rights sales process. The federation had invited bids by August 28.
The federation launched the tender after its proposal for a centralised marketing model was approved at the country’s annual football congress in January. However, Ecuavisa lawyers said that the vote would have had a different outcome had the congress heard the opinions of the federation’s broadcast partners.
The league wants to introduce centralised marketing of the rights for the start of the 2013 season, but more than half of the top-flight clubs, as well as broadcasters, have opposed the move.
Commercial broadcaster Teleamazonas failed in an attempt to get an injunction against the federation proceeding with a centralised sales process at a civil court hearing in March, but the decision earlier this year was not binding for Ecuavisa, according to Valverde.
Serie A rights are currently shared between free-to-air broadcasters Teleamazonas, Ecuavisa and TC Televisión, Ecuador’s state broadcaster.
The federation, which believes it can generate more substantial rights fees from a centralised model, said it would appeal against the latest court decision.