South American soccer's governing body, Conmebol, has successfully concluded what it describes as “the most competitive bidding process in its history” for media rights to the continent’s club competitions for the 2027-30 cycle. Major broadcasters ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery secured the largest number of packages across South America.
The federation conducted a formal request for proposal (RFP) process that spanned over ten months. This involved consultations, technical analysis, and multiple evaluation rounds to select the best proposals for three major competitions: Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, and Recopa Sudamericana.
Conmebol stated that it selected bids "which offered the best technical and financial conditions to expand the distribution of the competitions."
Distribution of rights in Brazil
In Brazil (Territory A), rights have been split between three broadcasters. Globo, a Brazilian media heavyweight, secured free-to-air package rights for Libertadores and Recopa. Meanwhile Disney-owned sports network ESPN landed pay-TV rights to all three competitions.
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) acquired free-to-air rights to Copa Sudamericana which will be broadcast on its TNT Sports channel along with near-live clips and highlights from all competitions. WBD also secured a pan-regional free-to-air package for Libertadores in South America (Territory B), excluding Ecuador where commercial broadcaster Ecuavisa acquired competition rights. The media giant will broadcast Copa Sudamericana across this region while providing near-live clips and highlights from all tournaments.
Alejandro Domínguez, president of Conmebol, said:
“This process reaffirms Conmebol’s commitment to transparency, integrity, and the constant pursuit of improvements for our football.
“The winning proposals will ensure that our competitions continue to grow both within and beyond the continent, bringing fans even closer together and enhancing the value of South American football.”
Pay-TV rights for Libertadores will be shared between WBD via HBO Max streaming platform and ESPN; whereas ESPN alongside DirecTV will showcase Copa Sudamericana matches. ESPN has additionally bagged exclusive broadcasting privileges to Recopa across South America and rights to all three club competitions in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean (Territory B).
Role of IMG and FC Diez media
The sales process was managed by heavyweight sports marketing agency IMG and its subsidiary FC Diez Media. This is part of a long-term commercial partnership with Conmebol that was extended earlier this year for the 2027-2030 period.
FC Diez Media is responsible for managing media rights, sponsorship, and overall commercial rights for Conmebol’s slate of club competitions. The subsidiary was formed in 2018 as a joint venture between IMG and digital sports media group Perform after IMG secured an array of Conembol rights in 2017 to cover the 2019-22 cycle.
IMG retained these same rights for the current 2023-2026 period. The initial partnership between Conmebol and IMG reportedly worth as much as $1.4 billion could have increased further after two successful rights cycles. This competitive bidding process has resulted in a diverse distribution of broadcasting privileges among major broadcasters ensuring wider reach for South American soccer's premier club competitions.
