LALIGA EA Sports: Telefonica retains domestic TV rights Lots 1 & 3 for 2025-2027

Telefonica has retained Lots 1 and 3 of the domestic media rights to LALIGA EA Sports for the period January 2025 to July 2027, announced LALIGA on 19/01/2023.

Telefonica and the OTT sports platform DAZN had acquired the Spanish broadcasting rights to LALIGA EA Sports for the 2022-2027 cycle for €4.95bn (an average of €990m per season) on 13/12/2021.

However, the Spanish League has launched a new call for tenders for the two lots awarded to Telefonica for the 2025-2027 cycle following a decision by the Spanish Competition Authority (CNMC). The CNMC had prohibited the telecoms operator from bidding for sports rights for a period longer than three seasons following its takeover of the television group Canal+ Spain in 2015. The restrictions imposed on Telefonica as part of this acquisition were eventually lifted in April 2023, although the CNMC still demanded a new call for tenders.

"The award refers solely to the rights initially allocated to Telefonica in the November 2021 procedure and does not affect the rights allocated to DAZN until the 2026-27 season," said LALIGA.

Telefonica thus…