Vodafone asks regulator to suspend Mediapro-Telefónica deal

Vodafone has asked the Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y La Competencia (CNMC), Spain’s competition regulator, to suspend a recent carriage deal for the new beIN Sports LaLiga pay-television channel between rival telco Telefónica and the Mediapro agency.

In April, the CNMC gave the green light to Telefónica’s takeover of Spanish pay-television operator Canal Plus, subject to certain conditions.

Earlier this month, Telefónica's DTS unit agreed to pay Mediapro €2.4bn ($2.6bn) to carry beIN Sports LaLiga on an exclusive basis for three seasons, from 2016-17 to 2018-19.

However, Vodafone has claimed the exclusive deal contravenes a condition imposed by the CNMC when the regulator gave the green light to Telefónica’s takeover of Spanish pay-television operator Canal Plus in April, according to Spanish newspaper El País.

The condition said Telefónica must share 50 per cent of its premium content, such as movies and sports coverage, with its rivals.

Coverage on beIN Sports LaLiga will include football’s top-tier Primera División, second-tier Segunda División and the Copa del Rey knockout competition for all three seasons, plus matches from the Uefa Champions League and Europa League European club competitions until at least the end of the 2017-18 campaign.