Setanta Sports Eurasia renews La Liga deal

Setanta Sports Eurasia has renewed its rights deal with La Liga for the Baltic region.

The deal will see the sports channel operator be the Spanish league’s exclusive broadcaster for five seasons from 2021/22 to 2025/26 in the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

La Liga is a key part of Setanta Sports Eurasia’s rights portfolio, with the broadcaster holding other top rights including NHL, Serie A, Ligue 1, Belgian League, Scottish League, Top 14, and Masters Golf.

In total, Setanta Sports Eurasia operates 14 channels in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Melcior Soler, director of LaLiga’s audiovisual department said: “We’re pleased to extend our relationship with Setanta Sports and to make another long-term agreement that provides continuity for our global audience. The Baltic region is important for our future growth and fans in these countries now know where to find the best sports entertainment for the coming years.”

Dwyer McCaughley, chief executive of Setanta Sports, said: “LaLiga is one of the most prestigious leagues not only in football but in all of sport. Setanta Sports is delighted to continue its partnership with LaLiga. The combined strength of the Setanta and La Liga brands should ensure significant mutual growth in these markets. Setanta Sports is excited to bring exclusive live LaLiga coverage to football fans in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia for an additional five years.”

Elsewhere in sports rights, Telefónica has extended its deal in Spain with the NBA, which will see the pair’s partnership extend beyond 25 years. The three year extension will see Movistar+ have rights to hundreds of live NBA matches including the NBA All-Star game and original NBA programme.

As a part of this deal, the NBA League Pass OTT service will be distributed on Movistar’s Emoción portal and Movistar customers will be offered a discounted subscription.

NBA EME vice president, global media distribution, Elsa Memmi, said: “Our passionate fans in Spain will continue to enjoy comprehensive live NBA game coverage, highlights and programming for years to come.”