Liga BBVA: 10 lots of the tender for the 2016-2019 TV rights aim to maximise competition

The tender for the domestic audiovisual rights to the Liga BBVA, Liga Adelante and Copa del Rey for the 2016-2019 cycle, published by the Laliga on 13/11/2015, contains four lots reserved for free-TV, a lot which can be acquired by a free-TV or pay-TV operator, three lots reserved for pay-TV and two lots dedicated to digital distribution platforms.

The Spanish Professional Football League intends to maximise competition between free-TV groups (RTVE, Atresmedia, Mediaset España, free channels of Discovery Communications), pay-TV groups (Telefonica through its subsidiary DTS, beIN Media Group), telecommunications operators (Telefonica, Orange, Vodafone) and perhaps new entrants (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter) to meet its target of €900m in domestic audiovisual revenues per season during the 2016-2019 cycle (against €600m in 2015-16), according to Spanish media outlets.

For its division of lots, LaLiga also included several recommendations recently made by the CNMC, including allowing free-TV channels to broadcast FC Barcelona and Real Madrid live, and not only Spanish teams not qualified…