Mediapro strikes deal with operators for La Liga bar rights

Spanish broadcaster and producer Mediapro has struck a deal with Vodafone and Orange to acquire rights to La Liga for distribution in bars and clubs, according to local press.

According to El País, citing unnamed sources, Mediapro is paying €120 million for the rights. Vodafone and Orange previously jointly acquired the rights to exploit La Liga matches in public venues via the Horeca channel through the vehicle of a Unión Temporal de Empresas (UTE). According to El País, the pair have now decided to resell the rights to Mediapro, which acquired them for the 2019-23 seasons in the last rights auction.

Mediapro will in its turn resell its coverage of La Liga for bars to operators that want to carry them, including Telefónica-owned Movistar+. For the current season it can also take over contracts with bars and clubs previously held with Vodafone and Orange, according to the report.

In June, Mediapro agreed to sell the rights to UEFA Champions League and Europa League football to Telefónica while retaining rights to air matches in public venues and via its OTT TV service BeIN Connect.

Mediapro has said that the market for football in bars and clubs in Spain is currently underdeveloped compared with the residential market, with greater potential for growth. According to the broadcaster, only 60,000 establishments currently pay for football content in the country, compared with about 350,000 in Italy.