Tebas outlines collective selling plans

Javier Tebas, president of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional, the Spanish football league, has outlined how media rights income will be split between clubs when a new collective model is introduced.

Tebas said that 50 per cent of the income would be distributed evenly between all clubs, with 25 per cent based on “historical results” and the remaining 25 per cent based on “social standing,” without elaborating further.

Tebas added that the league’s goal is to make the difference in media rights income between the top and bottom club in the Liga top division to be a ratio of “one to 3.5 rather than one to 6.5.”

The league's president has previously suggested that collective selling could be introduced for the start of the 2015-16 season, but in August Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said that it is likely to be brought in for the 2016-17 season.

Tebas also underlined the importance of fighting copyright violations to help to drive increases in rights fees. Earlier this month, the league signed an agreement with the country’s Association of Media Agencies, the Mediapro agency and Prisa media company to combat the piracy of Spanish football rights.

“No operator will pay for something you can watch for free,” he said. “If we do not defeat piracy, it will ruin us.”