Telcos Orange and Vodafone have become the first two operators in the Spanish market to sublicense LaLiga content in the 2015-16 season from rival firm Telefónica, while public-service broadcaster TVE has agreed a deal for highlights rights.
Telefónica paid €600m ($660m) earlier this month for domestic pay-television rights in 2015-16. However, under the terms of Telefónica’s acquisition of pay-television platform Canal Plus earlier this year, premium content had to be made available to other operators.
Telefónica became the dominant pay-television operator in Spain following its acquisition of Canal Plus; a deal that was approved in April. Telefónica secured a 100-per-cent shareholding in Canal Plus in July 2014, buying Mediaset España’s 22-per-cent stake for €295m. It had acquired Prisa’s 56-per-cent stake for €750m in May that year, raising its interest to 78 per cent.
Under the terms of the takeover, Telefónica had to make its ‘premium’ channels – defined as those carrying top sport or major new films – available to competitors as a wholesale package.
Telefónica’s agreement granted it the exclusive rights to the top two divisions of Spanish football, LaLiga and the Segunda División, along with all pay-television rights for Copa del Rey matches.
Orange and Vodafone have said they will offer all matches from LaLiga and the Copa del Rey in 2015-16 through their self-titled pay-television platforms. Orange will charge €9.95 per month for access, while Vodafone has yet to disclose the pricing of its package.
In other news, LaLiga has awarded the exclusive free-to-air highlights package for games from the top division of Spanish football and the Copa del Rey for 2015-16 to TVE. The ‘Lot 3’ rights package was also contested by commercial broadcasters Atresmedia and Mediaset, along with the Forta group of regional public-service broadcasters in Spain.