South American soccer's governing body, Conmebol, has renewed its broadcast production and distribution contract with Spanish media rights and production agency, Mediapro. The deal will run through the 2026 calendar year.
The agreement covers the annual Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana continental club championships, as well as the companion Conmebol Recopa Super Cup competition between the winners of these two tournaments.
Mediapro broadcasts will be disseminated across Conmebol’s roster of prominent media partners such as Fox, ESPN, and Globo TV. This ensures tailored content in different languages to enhance viewership experience.
Production hub in Buenos Aires
Production will continue at Mediapro’s dedicated Conmebol Hub in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This facility was opened in 2018 after Mediapro won the initial contract for producing and distributing content for these competitions.
The hub facilitates over 314 fixtures each year with capacity to handle up to 12 concurrent fixtures. It has also covered other events like Women’s Copa Libertadores, Copa America of Futsal, and youth-category Libertadores U-20.
Conmebol's decision to renew the contract with Mediapro was influenced by Mediapro's vast experience in managing these competitions, their extensive reach across South America, and the robust technical capabilities of their Buenos Aires hub. Prior to this partnership with Mediapro, production standards varied from game to game due to multiple rights-holders delivering productions from a single match.
Long-standing partnership with IMG continues
Earlier in 2025, Conmebol also renewed its long-running media rights partnership with sport and media heavyweight IMG through its FC Diez Media arm. This deal extends from 2027 through 2030 covering all club competitions including:
- Copa Libertadores
- Copa Sudamericana
- Conmebol Recopa
- Women’s Copa Libertadores Femenina
- Youth category U-20 Libertadores
- Other tournaments such as the Libertadores’ of beach soccer, futsal, and esports
FC Diez Media was formed in 2018 as a joint venture between IMG and digital sports media group Perform. It took full control in 2020 after securing a wide array of Conmebol rights for the 2019-22 cycle. The initial partnership between Conmebol and IMG was reportedly worth up to $1.4 billion. This figure could have increased further after two successful rights cycles.
Conmebol claims that IMG has overseen a growth in revenue generated from club competitions by 43% from its first cycle to its second. This is attributed not only to the number of media rights deals agreed upon during this time but also due to attracting new major sponsors like Coca-Cola, estimated by GlobalData Sport analysts to be worth $10 million per year.
