MP & Silva tables rival bid for Pro League – report

The MP & Silva agency has tabled a bid to acquire the media rights for the Pro League, the top division of Belgian football, according to the DMorgen news service.

The report said that the agency would guarantee the league €70m ($95.2m) per year.

Earlier this week, Belgian pay-television broadcaster Telenet confirmed that it would launch a new channel dedicated to the Pro League if it can acquire the rights for 12-years, from 2014-15 to 2025-26. The Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper said that Telenet’s offer is worth a total of €900m, or €75m per year, but DMorgen said that Telenet’s offer would guarantee the league €55m per year over the course of the deal.

DMorgen added that the league’s decision on awarding the rights from the start of the 2014-15 season could be announced as early as tomorrow (Friday).

Telenet currently has the rights for Pro League matches in a three-year deal, from 2011-12 to 2013-14. Its rights for Saturday afternoon matches are held on a non-exclusive basis along with pay-television rival Belgacom.

Any new deal still has to be approved by the Pro League’s clubs and the Belgian competition authorities.