The Autoridade da Concorrência, Portugal’s competition regulator, has ratified a set of proposals by Controlinveste, the investment vehicle that controls the Olivedesportos agency, to limit the lengths of domestic rights deals with football clubs to three years.
Under the binding regulations, companies such as Controlinveste will not be able to strike exclusive rights deals of more than three years with clubs in the top two divisions.
Moreover, companies will not be allowed to have arrangements with clubs that extend beyond a three-year period following a break clause. Such provisions have often been inserted into contracts in the past to enable the company to postpone coverage of a relegated team until it returns to the top division.
Additionally, deals that secure a right of first refusal upon the conclusion of the contract will be blocked.
Clubs that wish to curtail existing deals that extend beyond three years will be able do so from the end of the 2015-16 season, as long as they register their intention by November 30, 2015.
Controlinveste made the proposals after the watchdog launched an investigation into the company’s contracts with football clubs in April 2013.
The regulator said that the new rules “eliminate entry barriers… or [the] expansion of current or potential competitors in the market.” Controlinveste said that it welcomed the authority’s approval of the measures.
In other news, Portuguese commercial broadcaster TVI has acquired rights for the 2015 Copa América national team football tournament in Chile.
Live coverage and highlights of the event, which will run from June 11 to July 4, will be shown on the TVI and TVI24 channels.