The new law will allow for cross-ownership of broadcasters above the five per cent maximum currently allowed and is expected to give the green light to the launch of pay-services on digital terrestrial.
The changes will be welcome news for Barcelona-based agency Mediapro in particular. It is a major shareholder in commercial broadcaster La Sexta, which is heavily loss-making having spent millions on domestic sports rights, including La Liga football and Formula One. A pay-DTT channel is also central to Mediapro’s plan to refinance its costly acquisition of La Liga club rights for next season.
For more details see the forthcoming issue of TV Sports Markets.