BeIN Sports secures international South American football rights

Qatar-based pay TV outfit BeIN Media’s BeIN Sports arm has agreed an exclusive broadcast rights deal for South American football.

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), FC Diez and BeIN Media  struck a multi-year media rights agreement that will see BeIN Sports exclusively broadcast the Copa Libertadores football tournament across the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and 24 territories in the Middle East and North Africa.

South America’s leading club football tournament will be shown on BeIN Sports in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for the first time.

BeIN has also acquired the rights to the second most important South American club football tournament, the Copa Sudamericana. Both tournaments take place in the calendar year with multiple kick-off time slots and minimal crossover, according to the pay TV outfit, allowing BeIN Sports to broadcast live all 262 matches each year from both competitions across linear and digital channels.

The four-year deal, from 2019 to 2022, was brokered by FC Diez Media, a joint venture between Perform and IMG, set up to advise CONMEBOL on their commercial rights for club competitions.

Martin Aurenche, VP of sports content of BeIN Media Group, said: “We are delighted to have secured the rights to the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and Recopa Sudamericana for the next four years across multiple territories. BeIN Sports will broadcast these thrilling, passionate and historic tournaments, demonstrating our commitment to becoming the leading global sport and entertainment network. This new deal is particularly exciting for BeIN Sports subscribers in the USA and Canada, who will be able to watch some of the future stars of global football during midweek prime time viewing hours. For our subscribers in the Middle East and North Africa, and Australia and New Zealand, these rights will become the centre piece of our South American football coverage.”

Jose Astigarraga, secretary general of CONMEBOL, said: “We are pleased with the recent alliance with BeIN Sports for the transmission of our South American football tournaments. This alliance will ensure that south American football lovers around the world can live the passion of our tournaments.”