Mediaset considering bid for Spanish basketball rights

Italian media group Mediaset, which owns Spanish commercial broadcaster Telecinco, said it would be interested in acquiring domestic rights for the Spanish basketball league, the ACB, from the start of the 2012-13 season.

The incumbent rights-holder, public-service broadcaster TVE, said earlier this week that it would not renew its deal. TVE’s four-year deal, from 2008-09 to 2011-12, expires at the end of the current season.

“We could be interested as long as the price is right, taking into consideration the serious economic times,” Mediaset told Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

Commercial broadcasters La Sexta and Antena 3, which merged in January, are also interested in acquiring the rights. Antena 3 said that profitability would be a key factor in deciding whether to bid for the rights.