Ecuavisa to take Ecuadorian football to US

Ecuadorian commercial broadcaster Ecuavisa has agreed rights deals with several of the country’s football teams for coverage that will be shown on the Ecuavisa Internacional channel in the United States.

Ecuavisa struck the deals directly with top-tier Serie A clubs Barcelona, Emelec, Deportivo Quito, Deportivo Cuenca and Universidad Católica. The broadcaster will be able to show the teams’ league games.

“Securing the exclusive broadcast rights for these leading teams has strengthened Ecuavisa’s leading market position as the channel of choice for Ecuadorians living in the United States, and football fans of any nationality,” Ecuavisa chief executive Xavier Alvarado said.

For the league’s domestic rights, the Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol, the Ecuadorian Football Federation, is introducing centralised selling from 2013. Last month the federation agreed domestic rights deals over five years, from 2013 to 2017, with state broadcaster TC Televisión, commercial broadcaster GamaTV and public-service broadcaster Ecuador TV for coverage of Serie A and the second-tier Serie B.