Mario Figueiredo, the new head of the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional, Portugal’s professional football league, announced plans to introduce a collective broadcast rights model in the Primeira Liga.
Reuters reported that Figueiredo, who was elected last week, said he was keen to end the current individual sales system that allows the country’s three biggest clubs – FC Porto, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon – to secure half of the league’s estimated annual rights income of €75 million ($95 million). The three clubs supported a rival candidate in last week’s election.
“We need to unite to implement a new model – a new mechanism of collective television rights negotiations which will increase total and partial revenues for the clubs,” Figueiredo said.
Figueiredo announced his intention to change the rights model as part of broad reforms that will also add two more teams to the league, increasing the number of teams to 18.