Belgium: Telenet/VOO and Fox are candidates for Jupiler Pro League TV rights after 2014

The Belgian group Telenet/VOO and the U.S. group FOX are candidates for TV broadcasting rights of the Jupiler Pro League in Belgium, say the local press on 20/01/2014. The current contract for TV rights of the Belgian first division, which began in 2011-12, expires at the end of the 2013-14 season. In total, it would generate 165 M€ over this period of three seasons to the Pro League, the Belgian professional football league, and to the 16 clubs of the elite division.

Telenet (Dutch language) /VOO group (Francophone), which broadcasts the three best fixtures of each matchday of the championship on cable, will, according to local media, propose to pay the Pro League € 900 million over 12 years (75 M € per season), and create a TV channel dedicated to the championship, produced by Telenet, in a joint venture with the League. This channel would then be marketed to different cable TV, satellite and ADSL operators.

The other offers emanating are an international media rights agency, whose identity has not been revealed, which has proposed to acquire Jupiler Pro League distribution rights…