Univision Deportes has agreed a one-year extension to its rights deal with Mexican Liga MX football outfit Club Deportivo Guadalajara, according to the US pay-television broadcaster’s president, Juan Carlos Rodríguez.
The Portada-Online.com website said Rodríguez confirmed the news during the Sport Innovation Summit (SiS) Mexico 2017 conference.
In October, the club commonly known as Chivas signalled its intention to replicate its new domestic model of exploiting its rights in-house by taking the same approach for the US market.
Chivas had partnered with Mexican pay-television operator Televisa since 1994 but in May said this relationship would end with an in-house platform developed instead. Chivas has since adopted an online-only model in its home country, charging users a fee to watch matches, behind-the-scenes footage and commentary.
Chivas chief executive Jose Luis Higuera had told the Bloomberg news agency that the club intended to end its partnership with Univision Deportes when its current five-year contract comes up in 2018. However, Rodríguez said this deal has now been extended until 2019.
“It is a brilliant strategy,” Rodríguez said of Chivas’ new approach. “But it isn’t the right timing. Such is the case, that we already renewed our contract with Chivas in the US for one more year.”