The Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) has commenced a new process to find a broadcast rights partner for the Primera Categoría Serie A and Serie B club competitions, maintaining it is doing so “under protest”.
Last June, the FEF unveiled a 10-year deal with pan-regional pay-television broadcaster GolTV, granting the company rights to the Primera Categoría Serie A and Serie B for 10 years, from 2018 to 2027.
The contract was worth a guaranteed $276m (€222.4m) but has been challenged in the courts amid unease as to how the rights were awarded. In the latest development in the saga, a court last week ruled that a new rights contest be held, stating that the deal between GolTV and the FEF should be considered null and void.
In response, FEF president Carlos Villacís said a new tender process will be launched for the period 2018 to 2028, but maintained this will be carried out “under protest” following what he described as an “illegal decision”.
Villacís said a new rights partner is set to be decided before the end of the month. Ecuadorian newspaper El Telégrafo said a panel of eight club delegates, and three officials from the FEF, are working to draw up a tender, the terms of which are set to be officially disclosed to bidding companies on Wednesday.
Universidad Católica director general, Francisco Egas, said: “The deadline we have is short and we must work immediately. We want the foundations to contain various concepts, ambitions and aspirations of the clubs, so that in time, the television rights cake will be getting bigger.”