Clubs in the top two divisions of Argentinian football, the Primera División and Primera B Nacional, have agreed on a timeline that is set to decide the new rights-holder for the domestic game ahead of a planned return to action on March 3.
The dates were outlined following meetings held yesterday (Tuesday) at the headquarters of the Argentinian Football Association.
Argentinian newspaper Olé said a tender will be called for the broadcast rights tomorrow (Thursday), with bids to be opened and analysed on February 20. Intellectual asset management company Consor last week emerged as a surprise contender for the rights after submitting an offer that is reportedly higher than those already on the table.
The Clarin.com website said Consor has put forward an offer worth 5.4 billion pesos (€315.5m/$338.8m), while international sports broadcaster ESPN is offering 3.2 billion pesos and a joint proposal from US media companies Fox and Turner is valued at three billion pesos.
A key meeting will reportedly be staged on February 24 with the successful rights-holder set to be chosen, along with Fútbol para Todos platform being formally dissolved. Under FPT, the Argentinian government paid to ensure the top-tier Primera División was shown on free-to-air television. The FPT contract was due to run until September 1, 2019, but has been cancelled by the government.
The February 24 meeting will also introduce new governance statutes for the AFA and vote on the proposed Superliga competition that is set to replace the Primera División in August.