Argentina: government imposes the free-to-air broadcasting of national team friendlies in 2023

The friendly matches of Argentina's men's football team, winners of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, have been classified as "sporting events of relevant interest" (the Argentine equivalent of "events of major importance") and will therefore be required to be broadcast free-to-air in Argentina in 2023, according to resolution 228/2023 communicated by Agustín Rossi, Cabinet Chief of the Argentine Government, on 20/03/2023.

All of Argentina's friendlies will be broadcast on the national public channel TV Publica in 2023, starting with the Argentina - Panama on Thursday 23/03/2023 and Argentina - Curacao on Tuesday 28/03/2023.

The ruling comes after the pay-TV operator Torneos y Competencias (TyC), holder of the broadcasting rights for the national team's matches in Argentina, previously refused to sublicense the TV rights for the two friendlies in March 2023 to TV Publica.

"We tried to buy the rights and we were met with resistance, refusals and excuses" (A. Rossi, Argentine government)

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