Five in running for free-to-air Spanish football rights, Mediapro says

The Mediapro agency has received five bids for the free-to-air domestic rights covering the Spanish Liga and Segunda División, the top two divisions of football in the country.

The deadline for bids for the rights covering two seasons, from 2012-13 to 2013-14, expired yesterday (Thursday).

The free-to-air packages offered by Mediapro include one Liga game per week, up to six Segunda División games per match day and highlights for primetime television.

Mediapro said the bids would be judged on “economic criteria” and added that the rights would be awarded in the coming days.

However, last week the agency’s sales process was called “illegal” by Spanish pay-television operator Prisa, which says it already has rights deals in place for some games being offered as part of Mediapro’s packages.

The new season is due to get underway on August 18, but earlier this week 13 Liga clubs threatened to boycott the start of the campaign due to the dispute between Mediapro and Prisa if “an acceptable solution for a majority of first division clubs is not achieved.”