MADRID // Spain’s professional league plans to offer foreign broadcasters the rights to show matches next season, but the package will not include Barcelona and three other clubs.
The Liga de Futbol Profesional (LFP) has 38 of the 42 professional clubs in Spain’s top two divisions on board and has appointed Spanish broadcaster Mediapro as its agent to negotiate with interested parties, but Barcelona, along with Espanyol, Celta Vigo and Real Sociedad, will not be included.
Barcelona, the European champions, agreed in February to sell the rights to screen their league games next season to Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, ending a long-standing collaboration with Mediapro.
Espanyol, Celta Vigo and Real Sociedad also had deals with Telefonica and would not be included in the Mediapro package either, a spokesman confirmed.
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Spanish media have reported that Real Madrid have sold the international rights for their games next season to Microsoft.
However, a Microsoft spokesman said on Wednesday that was not the case and their technology agreement with Real did not include audiovisual rights.
Real Madrid did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The LFP’s effort to centralise commercialisation of international TV rights next season is a first step towards the fully collective system of bargaining mandated in a government law approved in cabinet in April.
The system is due to take full effect from the 2016/17 campaign and would end the current structure, under which rights are sold by individual clubs, potentially paving the way for a sharp price increase.
However, attempting to market matches to international broadcasters without Barcelona would lead to a reduced pot of revenue for the remaining 38 clubs.
Companies wishing to broadcast all matches next term will have to agree one deal with Mediapro/LFP and negotiate for the remaining matches with Telefonica.
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