Spanish football’s LaLiga has signed an extension to its existing contract in the United States and Canada with Qatar-headquartered pay-TV broadcaster beIN Sports through to the end of the 2023-24 season.
BeIN will broadcast LaLiga matches in both English and Spanish exclusively across the two countries and it is thought that the deal was agreed with the Mediapro agency, which holds the distribution rights to LaLiga.
The previous deal was set to finish at the end of the coming 2019-20 season, which kicks off on August 16 when Barcelona play Athletic Bilbao.
BeIN first bought the rights to LaLiga in the USA and Canada in 2012, ousting pan-regional sports broadcaster ESPN from its role as incumbent North American rights-holder. That agreement was renewed three years later in a five-season deal that was due to end after the 2019-20 season.
BeIn has also announced that former US women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo will join as a pundit on the English-language broadcasts in the US and Canada for the upcoming season.
The deal mirrors an equivalent extension in the Middle East and North Africa signed by the rights-holder and broadcaster over the course of the 2018-19 season.
LaLiga and beIN’s relationship was extended in Mena for a further four seasons, taking it through to 2024. Similarly to the US, beIN first bought LaLiga rights in Mena in 2012 before renewing that deal in 2015.